Animorphs Alternate Timelines: The Happy Accident
by Ashthena
Summary: Rachel was never meant to be one of the animorphs. As Jake, Tobias and Marco are about to die, the Ellimist gives them a chance to go back, and to start again, without Rachel. This is their story. T just in case. **will contain Rachel**
1. Prologue

The animorphs does not belong to me. If it did, I would not only have more than 62p in my bank, I would also never have killed Rachel and given Tobias a break. The poor guy (Hawk?) deserves a break. Anyway, nothing's mine except the story.

This story is essentially what I think would have happened without the happy mistake that is Rachel. Rachel will be in it quite a lot because I love her, but she will not be an animorph. It's not a great first chapter, since I just wrote it while in writers block and havent editted it, but.....yeah

* * *

The Ellimist looked down on the _Rachel _with unconcealed disgust. He was not meant to feel anything for these wonderful creatures, these beings that he, beyond himself, could not help to love. They had saved the human race, and he had once thought that that was all that was required of them. Why should one care about five simple humans and an andalite aristh?

Holding no answers, only knowing that he felt sorrow at such a loss, but unable to explain why. It was not how it was supposed to have happened, that much was certain. The humans were meant to have survived, lived their lives finally free of any threat.

Jake was not meant to be the depressed shell of a human he now was. Of course, the constant battles had changed him, that was always going to be the case. He was never again going to be the fun loving boy who enjoyed a game of basketball or violent video games – safe in the knowledge that they were not real – but he was not meant to be _this _either. He was meant to be able to find some middle ground, some semblance of normality.

And Tobias, dear Tobias, the Ellimist had planned for him to be the bridge between Andalite and Human communications. After all, he was the only one who could claim to be part of both species'. He was meant to be a soldier, a communicator for both species', and finally find his place in the universe. Together, humans and andalites were meant to finally eradicate the yeerk threat, Tobias and his uncle fighting beside one another.

Cassie. Well, Cassie was doing what she had been born to do. She was striving for peace, for relations between species' that would not have come together for centuries had the Yeerks not come. Yet, her line with Jake had been cut. She and Jake were meant to be together, making Earth a better place. A unified planet striving to unify the galaxy.

Then there was Marco. Oh, how Marco had amused him. The son of the former Visser One's host body, he knew a little bit about sufferance, he had known how to lighten every dark moment. The Ellimist supposed Marco had gotten everything he wanted, until now. Until imminent death, but he had not been happy.

And Aximili, surrendered to the One, a being that the Ellimist knew and detested. There was no worse fate for the poor andalite, his destiny would also never come true.

None of it was meant to happen like this, the Ellimist knew. They were meant to have survived, all five of the humans and the young andalite. That had been the plan he'd had in mind, and now he realised what the four remaining animorphs had in common about their losses.

Rachel.

Had Rachel not died, Jake may have still been consumed by guilt and depression, but it would have been handled. He and Cassie would have fought through it together, working together to make the world a better place. Tobias would have been happy; he would have gone on to be the great senator and soldier he was always meant to be, with Ax at his side, far from the worry of the One. And Marco...Marco wouldn't be dying on the orders of a guilt-ridden friend and the almost suicidal plights of a bird.

Rachel had always been the accident. He had once called her a happy accident, a good mistake, and yet, now he was not so sure. Without her death, everything might have gone as planned. Could it also be said that without her involvement in the war, the same would have happened? Was she a happy accident, or just an accident?

He did not know, but at this point he was willing to try anything. It was too wrong for them to all die now, when the war was over. He could not allow it, but he could not change it without bending the rules of the game. Crayak's response would be the driving force that would change everything. If he allowed it, the Ellimist would allow the animorphs to decide, but he would be plagued wondering why Crayak had allowed it. If Crayak didn't...well, the Ellimist held a planet of Farrosgots that Crayak would love to try his armies on.

I WOULD ALLOW IT

The booming voice came to the Ellimist through the darkness, and he simmered angrily.

_That is precisely the reason I should not be allowing it._

Crayak laughed, a sound that was terrifying to even the Ellimist, THE ANIMORPHS ARE DYING. PERHAPS WE SHOULD GIVE THEM THE CHOICE.

_Why would you allow it? _The Ellimist was suspicious. Crayak was not an endorser of life, human or otherwise. He had the suspicion that he already knew how this was going to end.

YOU ADMITTED YOURSELF RACHEL WAS AN ACCIDENT, Crayak boomed, BUT WITHOUT SAID ACCIDENT, COULD THE WAR HAVE BEEN WON? RACHEL WAS STRONG WHERE THE OTHERS WERE WEAK, THE YEERKS COULD WIN THIS TIME AGAINST YOUR STACKED DECK.

The Ellimist admitted to himself that it was probably true. He should not be doing this, he knew. The Human species had survived, could he really rest the lives of six billion people in the hands of four humans and an andalite this time? The odds were worse, more of them could die.

He resigned himself to his fate, bowed his gentle head. It was the only choice. If he started thinking in terms of figures and statistics, would he be any better than Crayak? With six billion human hosts, the Yeerks could conquer most of the free galaxy, but he would have to trust in those five beings once again, and hope they could succeed.

_We will _allow them to vote, he said at last.

**

* * *

**

Tobias.

"Ram the blade ship," Jake said, and the words seemed maniacal from his mouth. I smiled internally, as much as a bird can ever smile, and then began to morph to human as the ship accelerated. I wanted to be human as I died, or as human as I ever was. If there was something after death, the last thing I wanted was for Rachel to be complaining for the rest of my existence that I was still a hawk.

I morphed quickly, watched the screen ahead of us as we moved closer to the blade ship. I knew I had a maniacal smile that matched Jake's on my face. My first real human expression in over five years, and it was at the face of my own death, Rachel would have been proud.

Even if Rachel wasn't waiting for me on the Other Side, and God, how I prayed she was, at least it would be an end. Even if there was only darkness, a failure to exist any longer, at least the pain would stop.

At least I'd no longer have to wonder what could have been.

"Oh man, oh man, we're going to die" Marco was muttering beside me, "Jake, are you _insane?"_

Jake didn't reply, Marco muttered, "Oh, of course he is."

The hawk inside of me was calm. It didn't understand such matters. The Andalite inside me was proud. we would die for honour. The boy, he was somewhere between excited and scared. It made for an interesting mix of emotions.

We were about to hit. I was counting down the seconds until impact. I couldn't even look around as I did so, my eyes were glued to the screen ahead of me, to the thing that would finally cause my own death.

3.

The ship looked huge now, looming in front of us. I wondered if we would even kill the One, or whether our deaths would be in vain. I hoped Ax got the same peace we would. He would rather die than be a slave to anything.

2.

I remembered Rachel's smile. Not that dangerous smile that was now gracing Jake's face, but the nice smile she kept mainly for me. The smile when we were together, doing something human – normal, the way she always said she wanted to be, but I found difficult to believe.

1.

The world turned white.

* * *

I was surrounded by white light. Still facing straight on, there was nothing in front of me. I turned my head to the right, saw Jake and Marco. Marco still had his eyes clenched shut in anticipation of the impact. I didn't think he even knew we weren't still on the ship, that we were finally dead.

Finally dead...I had expected that if there was something there, Rachel would be waiting for me. Arms outstretched for me to just fall into. It wasn't the case, and something squeezed my heart.

I turned my head to the left, and there was Ax and... I squinted further. Was that Cassie? It couldn't be. Why would Cassie be dead with us?

Then it hit me, "are we dead?"

_Not yet, _the voice came back at me. I knew that voice, the Ellimist, or at least the voice he always displayed to us.

Ellimist, Ax said, and he made it sound like an expletive.

Part of me lost it then. I couldn't take it any longer, I shrieked, and the noise sounded more like it came from a Hawk than a human. I didn't care. I tried to lash out, tried to fall to the floor in tears. The tears certainly came, but the falling didn't. I was suspended in the air, suspended, unable to do anything except thrash at the air, trying to break free.

"Tobias!" Jake yelled, he sounded shocked. I didn't care, why should I care about anything he felt or thought? He was the one who _made _me like this. If he needed to send Rachel to her death, fine, but he could have sent her with backup...he could have sent _me, _so I could have saved her or died trying. He could have...

Even when he'd done something right, finally sentenced me to death, something had to come between me and it.

_Stupid Tobias, _I hissed at myself, _never get your hopes up. You know that. Stupid, stupid Tobias._

The other animorphs were watching me. My friends - or at least they once had been. It didn't matter. I didn't care. None of them would understand, none of them had ever wanted death, except maybe Ax, trapped in his own body by the One. Ax would understand, he would be cold and logical about it, but he would understand.

"Tobias," Cassie spoke my name, but there was no shock in her voice, just awe, heartfelt awe.

Then I saw her, and my thrashing stopped entirely. I could still feel the tears running down my cheeks, but I didn't want to stop. She was there, in her morphing suit. Looking more beautiful than I could remember, the smile on her face that she saved just for me, I reached out, but I couldn't touch her. I needed to touch her, needed to hold her to me, make sure she was real.

_But of course she's not, _I reminded myself, _not the way you want her to be, just an Ellimist trick._

She looked as though she wanted the same thing, both our hands came forward, so close, and yet hers passed through mine like a hologram. I was crying, glad I'd been in human morph, glad I had the chance to cry, but more scary was that she was crying too, glimmers of liquid shining on almost translucent skin.

I expected Marco to make a joke. Thats what should have happened, what would usually have happened, if Rachel hadn't been dead two years already, but he didn't make a sound.

_I have come to give you a choice, _the Ellimist said at last.

"No way," Marco said, finding his breath at last, "every time you come with some seemingly positive choice, it _always _ends up leaving us that bit closer to death."

_You are going to die anyway, _the Ellimist told him curtly, _if I return you, you will have one second before the Rachel and the Blade Ship collide. The only Animorph that will remain will be Cassie._

Marco gulped, but I paid him no heed. I was still staring at Rachel, and her at me. I wanted to say something, anything, but now the opportunity was here all those perfect lines I'd rehearsed in my head back on the _Rachel _sounded dumb.

"In that case, bring on the choice," Marco allowed.

"I missed you," I said at last, and it wasn't enough. Wasnt enough to tell her how I felt, or how lost I'd been without her. I could tell her that, if we had been alone, and she would have listened and stroked my feathers and told me everything was going to be okay, because she loved me too, but we weren't alone, and it was all I could bring myself to say.

"I missed you too," she said, then looked around at the others, eyes landing on Cassie before jumping back to me, "all of you."

"even me?" Marco asked, kind of shakily.

"Even you," she laughed, and she seemed strangely at peace.

_The choice, _the Ellimist reminded us, _Rachel was never meant to be an Animorph. She was a mistake, a happy accident I always called her, but maybe not so happy. Rachel's death tore you all apart, sent you on this suicide mission that would have been done by the Andalites in the timeline I had had in mind. Crayak and I have agreed that you could restart the war, from the night at the construction site...but Rachel would not be with you._

No one said anything, not that we'd been particularly communicative before this decision anyway. This wasn't like the old days of the animorphs, when we'd all have been laughing and joking with one another. This was a new era.

My first thoughts were wonderful. Rachel could be alive again, we could restart the war, I could be a human, a _real _human but with my morphing powers, and we could be together.

But Rachel would be a normal human girl again, no morphing abilities. Why would she want me? A dweeby bully-magnet? She wouldn't. She couldn't.

_But she'd be alive, _I reminded myself, and wasn't that what was important? That Rachel was alive, and happy, even if it wasn't with me?

"would we remember anything?" Rachel asked softly.

The Ellimist appeared beside her, popped into existence. We were used to his dramatics, but it still made me jump.

"Nothing," the Ellimist said solemnly, "it would be as though this timeline had never happened."

"would we win?" Jake said, just as solemnly.

"I can't tell you that," the Ellimist said.

"Can't? Or Won't?" Marco butted in, angrily, "and don't give us any of the usual BS, Ellimist."

"I can't. I do not know what the outcome would be," the Ellimist spread his hands, "there are many different outcomes. In some you win, in some you lose. In some none of you die, in some you all die."

"Odds would be nice," Marco said.

The Ellimist smiled, but it appeared more of a grimace, "the odds that you will win and all survive are very low indeed. But then, they always were," he paused, "you have five minutes."

"we need a vote," Jake said reluctantly, "majority wins. Cassie?"

I looked over at her; I could guess how Jake and Marco would vote, but Cassie had been silent, and we all rely on Cassie to be insightful; she was the one of all of us who was usually right. "I..." she paused, her eyes darted back to Jake, I knew what she was thinking.

Cassie was the only Animorph I had still talked to before Jake had found me. Not often, admittedly, but Toby and the other free Hork Bajir were the only family I had left, and I visited them sometimes, as did she as part of her job, we crossed paths.

Sometimes we talked, and although she was with Ronnie, and she was happy, I could tell he was no Jake. A good guy, but not Jake. Cassie knew that too, I saw it in her eyes when Ronnie held her. There was no intensity, I had no doubt she loved him, but not as much as Jake. She was seeing a passed opportunity; she was seeing a way that she and Jake could be together once again, if only she didn't give away the escafil device.

"Will this be like before?"She directed her questions to the Ellimist, "when I could break through into another timeline?"

"Perhaps," the Ellimist admitted, "you will get feelings of things that you may have done before, or things you had done before that now won't be done because of the lack of Rachel. But you're ability to see through timelines would not break the current one."

She stared at him for the longest time, so did I. I didn't know what she meant, or what his answer was supposed to mean, but it didn't matter, all that mattered was her vote.

"I don't understand," she admitted, "I don't understand how this will be different, but," she sighed, "to be able to try again? To save lives? Maybe have a cleaner war?" she looked at Jake, "I vote yes."

"A cleaner war," Rachel scoffed, "like not having me there will make it a cleaner war."

Now we all turned to stare at her and Marco laughed, "We wouldn't do half the crazy things we did when you were there, Xena."

He rushed on, "I think this is a bad idea," that was okay, I expected his vote to be a no, Marco had had everything he ever wanted anyway, I silently fumed, "I mean, everything that comes out this guys mouth is a bad idea," he gestured to the Ellimist, "or head, or whatever. I mean, am I the only one who remembers the Iskoort?" he rolled on, "and we're talking about the freedom of six _billion _people, including _ourselves, _to save our lives."

"Point taken," Jake said, "Ax?"

"No Jake," Marco said, "I'm in. Nothing we've ever done has been smart, why stop now?"

We all stared at him. That was not the answer I was expecting. He had his family back, he had his millions, his celebrity status...yes, he was about to die, but at least he'd enjoyed it for a small time.

"why?" Cassie breathed, she was perhaps the most shocked. It was not usual for her and Marco to be on the same side.

He shrugged, looked at me, and I saw – for the first time – not Marco the Selfish, or Marco the Strategist, but Marco the Person, and that person was a good person, a person who complained, and whined, and hated every moment of it, but had fought this war for life. For the sanctity of life. He was looking out for Jake's happiness, more than anyone's, but I could tell he was also looking out for me and Rachel. I twisted my lips into a smile...or tried to anyway.

"I'm not a fan of death," he shrugged, trying to sound light, "in fact, of all my favourite things in the world, death is way down the list along with Brussels sprouts and Monday mornings."

I silently mouthed thank you, not in Marco's direction. Towards the sky, maybe I was trying to commune with God.

Jake smiled too, but not totally as if he agreed, "Ax?"

**"I will go where you lead, Prince Jake,"** ridiculous, of course. Ax was a War-Prince in his own right now, **"but if I may be so bold, although the war would change without Rachel's involvement, drastically, I believe the decisions that resulted in us winning would mainly be intact. Those were your decisions"**

"Don't call me Prince," Jake said, but he smiled, and I could see the thoughts racing through his mind. He had missed it, you could tell. The fun side of being an Animorph. He looked old, he was only eighteen, but he could have passed for forty. I hated that he'd sent Rachel to the Blade Ship, hated it so much, but right then, I couldn't bring myself to hate Jake. He'd been trying to do what was best, and besides, he hated himself much more than I ever could.

I thought he'd argue against it, I wasn't disappointed, "six billion people," he sighed, "my god, how can we be for this? How can we throw away the lives of so many people on the off chance that we might succeed? This time, if we lose, it is _our _fault."

Cassie looked uncomfortable, I hoped she wouldn't retract her vote now, prayed she wouldn't.

"But we did so many bad things," Cassie reminded him, "this could be our chance to put those right."

"Or do worse things," Jake sighed, "I don't know. I don't want a vote."

"You have to vote," I looked around angrily for the source of those words, realised with a start that I'd said them. Why was I pushing the issue? He was going to vote against us, against giving Rachel another chance, why was I so stupid? Yet I pushed on, "it's a group decision."

He shrugged, "I don't think we should do it," he turned to me, "I'm sorry but," he turned to Rachel, "you understand, I can't risk the death of six billion for...well, six."

"Thank you, Jake," Rachel's voice came through strong and heady, the way I was used to it sounding, "you're all being _ridiculous!" _

I looked at her, willed her with my eyes not to say what she was thinking, she shook her head brusquely, "we won, but I was _there. _I was the one who did the dirty work. When David was against us, I was the one who trapped him, at the end with Tom, I was the one who killed him, you _need _someone to do the dirty work to win!"

"Someone else can do it," I was pleading, "me, or Marco, we've always had that side in us."

"Have you?" she bit back, "it would kill you two. It _would. _No one else could live with themselves doing the things I did."

"I could," I argued, "it would be hard, but I could live with it. I lived with being a bird stuck in a forest eating mice and road kill for god's sake!" I was shouting. I never shouted at Rachel, but this time I needed to, how could she argue against this?

"you could," she whispered, "but Tobias, I don't want you to have to become me, or Marco, or anyone," she dropped her head, "I barely even wanted to be like me most days," she looked down, "and a selfish part of me is thinking that, without my part in the war, what will I be? A superficial idiot, that's what...I might even be infested. I don't _want _that. I mattered in this world...I don't want to not matter. Don't you understand? I want to live, but not at the cost that you will die, and for me to not even have mattered to risk that death for. Please understand."

I did, I desperately did, and in another time I might have voted against it; for her. But I couldn't, I couldn't make myself believe that Rachel would ever be infested, and she would be happy, and I would never have got the chance to feel love, never have got the chance to miss it. Maybe I was being selfish, but I really did just want her to be happy. I ignored the part of me that told me Rachel could never be happy without the war.

"My vote is that we do it," I said to Jake, trying to ignore what she was saying, I turned my gaze on her, **"you will always matter".**

"Rachel?" Jake asked.

"No," she shook her head, "I don't want this, not for me. I don't want to risk it, for the chance that maybe I'll get to be happy and normal."

Marco snorted, "What makes you think this is for you? This is for _me. _I want to live. Come on Jake, I'm your best friend, you don't want me dead do you?"

It seemed selfish, but Cassie gave me a wink and I knew she too realised that Marco was trying to force Jake into making the _right _decision. Jake paused. It was three against three. Ax would never make a decision. I was his shorm, but he had a taste of being captive already, and he did not want to go through that again. I understood.

"Okay," Jake said eventually, he had a small half smile on his face. He was willing to try, for life, for him and Cassie. Maybe even for Rachel, who knows, "let's do it."

"You have made your decision?" the Ellimist asked.

"We have," Jake nodded.

Then everything disappeared.


	2. Chapter 1 My name is Tobias

Disclaimer - animorphs still isn't mine, it's K. Applegate's and Scholastics.

* * *

Chapter 1.

My name is Tobias. Just Tobias. I can't tell you my last name, or where I live. It's too risky. If death was the greatest risk, I'd take it. If death was the worst they could do to me, I'd be trying to make everyone who would listen understand what was happening.

It turns out there's worse things in this world than death. Much worse things, and I'm not prepared to face them.

So I can't tell you my last name, or where I live. I may be halfway across the world, or I may be your next-door neighbour, and you would never know.

I'm good at hiding, my life has become paranoia.

At which point you're probably thinking I'm a little bit insane, and I haven't even wrote the worst part yet. Or the best part, depending on who you are.

Aliens. Oh yes. Now you're wondering when they started giving out pens and papers in the loony ward. It's okay, it gets better.

But I'm starting in the middle. I have a tendency to do that, to not make much sense. My aunt tells me that all the time, or used to anyway.

I used to be pretty normal. Okay, that's a lie. My life was a mess. I was a dweeb, sometimes I even wanted to beat myself up. I lived with either my Uncle or my Aunt, neither for very long, because as it turned out, neither of them really wanted me. My dad died, and no one would ever tell me what happened to my mum. I suppose she didn't want me either.

The point is, I was more or less normal before that Friday night. A screw-up, yes, but your every day screw-up. You'll have a kid just like me at your school, maybe even in your class.

Anyway, that Friday night, I was at the mall. My Uncle had been drinking since the Wednesday beforehand. No breaks. He had a week off work, so he was celebrating in the same way he celebrated every other day off work, by indulging in a six pack or ten. I didn't have any money, and there's only so long you can sit in a bookstore reading before someone kicks you out, so that's how I came to be wandering by the comic store. It had some arcade games in, but mainly I just went to look at the comics.

I had a quick look in, I don't know why. It wasn't like I had any quarters for the machines, and I'd read all the comics anyway but then I saw Jake and a small Hispanic boy I didn't really know. Jake was...well, he wasn't exactly my friend. I didn't have any friends, but he was a nice guy, he had saved me when two guys who liked to pick on me were flushing my head down a toilet. He told the creeps to step off, and, what's more amazing, they actually did it.

Once I'd stood up out of the stall and actually looked at Jake, I wasn't too surprised. I mean, he wasn't mean looking, but he was the kind of guy who looks much bigger than he is, he gives that type of impression. He's tall, around the same height as me, but looks much look taller; he has an air of authority that's unmistakable. He was what I wished I could one day become but knew it was an unattainable dream.

I was going to walk right on by without talking to them, but something stopped me. I Jake seemed nice enough, maybe if I could befriend him...well, maybe I wouldn't be so alone anymore.

And maybe bullies would stop flushing my head down toilets.

Shyly, I approached them. I wasn't used to this, the whole talking to people thing. Man, some woman in the bookstore had asked if she could help me and I'd blushed so hot I was sure I was on fire. My mumbled apologies must have seemed very strange to her before I'd legged it out of there.

"whats up?" I asked, feeling my voice catch in my throat.

Jake shrugged those broad shoulders, "not much. We're heading home."

"Out of quarters," his friend commented. "Certain people keep forgetting that the SleazeTroll

shows up right after you cross the Nether Fjord. So certain people keep losing the game - and

losing our quarter." he kept jerking his thumb at Jake, like I couldn't figure out who he meant by 'certain people'.

I didn't want to admit it, but I had no idea what he was on about. Nether Fjord? Sleaze Troll? I could only presume it had something to do with the game they were playing, I nodded as if I understood, "so, like maybe I'll walk home with you guys?" I said quickly before either of them could ask me about the game, which I had never played.

"sure," Jake shrugged, "the more the merrier."

His friend didn't say anything. I wasn't sure if he didn't like me or if he was like this with all new people. I wasn't one to comment. It's not like I've ever been amazingly friendly.

We started heading for the exit when I saw her. Rachel. There was a short black girl by her side, but I barely noticed her. Carrie, I think her name was. Rachel's best friend. Rachel was gorgeous, blonde hair, blue eyes, all-American. She could get hit by a bus, stuck in a sandstorm, and then top it off with a swim with sharks and still be in perfect condition, but that wasn't what was so amazing about her. It was that she was beautiful and didn't seem to care. She was nice to who she wanted to be nice to, mean to who she didn't, and had a kind of ferocious look in her eyes. She was popular, but she didn't seem to care. She'd even talked to me on occasion. She was my chemistry partner.

I mean, it wasn't like I had a crush on her or anything. She was way out of my league anyway...but she was nice. I would have liked to be her friend.

I tore my eyes away from Rachel before someone could notice. Looked at her friend instead for a second. Carrie? Well, Carrie was kind of the opposite – short, black, with short dark hair. She was pretty too, and I could see why Jake was looking at her with those puppy dog eyes, but I'd never spoken to her before.

"you guys going home?" Jake asked, "you shouldn't go through the construction site by yourselves. I mean, being girls and all."

I could see in Jake's eyes that he knew the words were a mistake even before they left his mouth, and I smiled. Rachel, ferocious, brilliant Rachel, was not going to put up with that. She was not weak or helpless. In fact, I think I have the titles for both of those.

"Are you going to come and protect us, you big, strong m-a-a-a-n?" she said. "You think we're helpless just because -"

"I'd appreciate it if they did walk with us," the other girl interrupted. "I know you're not afraid of anything, Rachel, but I guess I am." I remembered her name now. Cassie! Of course. I'd heard Rachel talk about her, say she was a natural peace-maker, strong in her own right. It drove Rachel mad sometimes and she'd rant about it all chemistry lesson.

Rachel shrugged heavily, knowing that she couldn't really argue now her best friend wanted to walk with us. I hoped she'd agree, I mean, not that she'd talk to me when Jake and his friend were there, but still...

"Well, you go on ahead then with these brave men," she winked, "I'm going back for that sweater."

Cassie sighed in frustration, "the same sweater you tried on fourteen times before deciding it wasn't the right cut?"

"That's the one," Rachel laughed, "I realised i have a pair of jeans that that would go perfectly with," I started to zone out. I mean, clothes shopping wasn't a big concern for me, I either wore my uncles hand-me-downs or clothes from the thrift store, and I had no idea which cut went with which jeans.

"Don't walk home through the construction site alone," Jake reminded her.

"Please," she rolled her eyes, "I can take care of myself."

"I'm sure you can," I whispered. I don't think anyone heard me. I hope they didn't. Sometimes it's safer to not say anything.

So there we were. The four of us – Jake, his best friend, Cassie and I. Normal kids, heading home. Or in my case, the streets to wander around until my uncle passed out and it was safe.

Back then I was actually scared of my uncle, scared of the pain he'd give when he was drunk and I made noise. Scared of the bullies that made my life a living hell.

Five minutes later, life got a lot scarier.

Five minutes later, my life changed for the better.

* * *

to get home from the mall we could either go a long way around, which is the safest way, or we could cut through this abandoned construction site and hope for the best. The others looked nervous at the thought of going through the construction site, but then they lived in nice neighbourhoods where nothing really bad happened. I personlly didn't care, I'd gone worse places with no consequence.

I didnt give any input to the conversation, but the others decided to cross the road nd head into the abandoned construction site. It's a big area, surrounded on two sides by trees, with the highway seperating it from the mall area. There's a broad, open field between the construction site and the nearest houses. It's a very isolated place. I didn't tell the others, but I actually sometimes went there at night if my Uncle was too drunk to live with.

It was meant to be a shopping centre, now it's just all these half-finished buildings, like a ghost town for the homeless. There were huge piles or rusted steel beams; pyramids of giant concrete pipes; little mountains of dirt; and deep pits that had filled up with muddy water. It was the closest thing to a jungle gym I'd ever been in. Jake was recounting brave stories of adventuring in the construction area, and Cassie was giggling at even the worst ones.

The others were looking around in fear for their axe-murderers. I had more real concerns on my mind, like just how drunk and angry my uncle would be when I got home. I sighed, looked up at the stars. Sometimes I wished I could just escape there, meet an alien species that were kind. I was sure one must exist, no matter how crazy the idea was.

Just as I had the thought, something flashed across the sky. I squinted at it. My eyesight wasn't good enough to see what it was, at first it just looked like a shimmering star, but then I wasn't so sure. If it was, it was a _big _star, a _big, blue, shooting _star. I pointed at it, straight up, "look!"

"What?" Jake answered me, but he didn't look, neither did the others.

"Just look," I insisted. It was coming closer, I was sure of it, shooting across the sky. Before my eyes it was getting bigger and bigger, and brighter. Blindingly bright.

Finally, after what felt like forever but must have only been a few seconds, he looked, "what is it?" he sounded awed.

I shook my head, "I don't know," but I sure thought I did. I knew what I wanted it to be, but that was just me. Aliens fascinated me. Wishful thinking.

Jake looked at me, and I had the weirdest feeling. Like maybe, for once, we were on the same wavelength. I knew if I said it, and I was wrong, I'd never hear the end of it.

I was saved from having to say it, Cassie blurted it right out, "It's a flying saucer!"

_Yep, _I thought gravely, _but are they my kind aliens or..._

I couldn't finish the thought.

* * *

So what did you think? Should I continue it? Should I not? etc etc


	3. Chapter 2 til 6, The Construction Site

Animorphs doesn't belong to me, no matter how much I keep wishing. Most of this section will seem very familiar to you, as it's taken directly from the Animorphs: Invasion and re-written in Tobias's view.

Also, Thanks for the great reviews  made me smile and get to writing this again. – I have up until chapter 10 completed thus far.

**freak show**** – here's your update :P You'll just have to wait and see about the Nothlit thing **

**Fletty – wow, thanks for the long review (: in answer to your question, I'm planning to do quite a few books like this. The whole of the invasion is Tobias's POV, but if enough people like this story, I'll be continuing with more books, and Rachel will be number 2 (so yes, she is still going to be involved in major ways)**

**So thanks to you both :D means a lot. Hope you like the next three chapters, they sound very similar to the invasion because... well, these were necessary bits Rachel or no Rachel, in Jake's or Tobias' or ANYONE's point of view, but after this, it changes so bare with me, but I have changed some dialogue (especially early to the start) and for it to fit Tobias' feelings.**

"A flying saucer?" the Hispanic boy said...Marco, I think I heard Jake call him. He laughed. Then I saw his body go rigid mid-laugh. He'd looked up. I couldn't help it, I laughed. At last Marco was speechless.

I was grinning in a way I don't think I've ever grinned before. It was amazing, real aliens. Either way, it was going to be awesome. Sure, I was afraid, but I was afraid most of the time. I was less afraid of them than I was of Andy and TapTap. It's strange, but it felt almost welcome. After all, hadn't I just been wishing for kind aliens from the stars?

"Wow," I whispered. Marco gave me a strange look.

"Wow?" he exploded, "_wow?!_ It's coming towards us! It's going to kill us! Are you insane?"

"It might not be coming this way," Jake said, almost hopefully, "I mean, it's hard to be sure."

"It's coming for us," I whispered. Again, Marco looked at me like I was mad.

"Of course. For us, because we're the best specimens it could find for a freaking lobotomy!" he looked around, "let's get out of here."

"It's not exactly a flying saucer," Jake pointed out, as though it was relevant.

I looked up, realised he was right. I mean, it still definitely wasn't human, or if it was, it was something very, very secret. It was about as long as a bus, the front end was a pod, shaped like an egg, extending from the back of the pod was a long, narrow shaft. There were two crooked wing like things, and on the end of each wing was a long tube that glowed bright blue on the back end.

_That must have been the blue I saw, _I thought.

It didn't _look _like it belonged to evil aliens. I mean, I don't know much about aliens except for what I've seen on _Star Trek, _but it looked cute. Except it had a...I don't know what to call it. A tail? Definitely a kind of tail. It looked like a scorpion's tail. Dangerous, sharp, but even good aliens needed a way to defend themselves, right?

"That tail thing," Jake said, echoing my thought, "it looks like a weapon."

"Definitely," Marco agreed, "now why aren't we running and screaming right about now?"

It came closer. No one had to say what they were thinking. That it was stopping right in front of us, that that couldn't be an accident. Irrationally, I wondered if there really were axe murderers in the construction site, and if I was now unconscious and dreaming. I figured no, if there were axe murderers, I wouldn't be unconscious. I'd be dead.

"I think it sees us," Marco said, a moan in his voice, "if we're not going to be rational, maybe we should run home and get a camera," the fear left his voice for a moment as he grew more excited by his new plan, "do you know how much money we could get for a video of a real UFO?"

"if we run, they might...I don't know, zap us with phasers on full power," Jake said. I got the feeling that I wasn't the only one who watched Star Trek. It made me feel oddly bonded with him. I grinned.

"Phasers are only on Star Trek," Marco reminded us, rolling his eyes.

The ship hovered right above our heads. I only realised for the first time that Cassie was there before she let out a little shiver at my side, then moved to stand by Jake. She'd been so silent...I wondered what she thought of this. Was I the only one who thought this was so cool?

"What do you think it is?" Marco asked, his voice shaking. Before, he had sounded scared, but now he was terrified. Even Jake was shaking. Jake, dependable Jake, who I didn't think was scared about anything.

I tried to stop grinning, to try and act normal and scared like the others. I just couldn't. It was a real alien spaceship, it was possibly the coolest thing that had ever happened to me, and for once I wasn't scared of looking stupid, "I think it's going to land," I said, and I could hear the excitement in my voice breaking my usual monotone.

The ship began to come down, "it's coming right at us!" Jake yelled.

I knew that. I was watching it's every move. I moved closer beyond my own will. The spaceship had obviously been damaged, there were black burn marks across the top of the pod, and bits of the ship had been melted. People – I mean, aliens – might have been hurt, and somehow the thought hurt me. The blue lights went off, and I took a deep breath, tried to steady my breathing.

"We need to tell someone," Marco said out of nowhere, "I mean, this is kind of major, you know? Spaceships don't just land in the construction site every day. We should call the cops of the army or the president or something. We'd be totally famous. We'd get on Letterman for sure."

I rolled my eyes. Why were people so concerned with money and fame? This was a major change in history. We were going to _meet _real aliens.

"Yeah, you're right," Jake agreed. "We should call someone." But none of them moved. I was glad.

"I'm going to talk to it," I told the others, unable to contain myself any longer, sure they'd keep jabbering forever if I didn't step in, I stepped forward and held out my hands. I don't know why, it's just how they did it in all those old alien movies, "it's safe," I said in a loud, clear voice, "we won't hurt you."

Like we even could if we wanted to, the ship could probably kill us in an instant with that big tail. I didn't care.

"Do you think they speak English?" Jake wondered.

"Well, everyone speaks English on Star Trek," Cassie said with a nervous laugh. The first time she'd spoke since it began. I didn't bother to correct her. Instead, I tried again.

"Please, come out. We won't hurt you."

**I know.**

I grinned. The alien had spoken...well, not exactly spoken. The sound was in my head, but it didn't matter. It was trying to communicate. That was awesome. I mean, it was definitely more desirable than being phasered to death.

"Did everyone hear that?" I whispered, turning around to look at them. They all nodded slowly.

"Can you come out?" I spoke louder and slower. I mean, it seemed to speak English, but it probably wasn't its native language. I didn't want to confuse it.

**Yes. Do not be frightened.**

"We won't be frightened," I promised, and I really wasn't.

"Speak for yourself," Jake muttered. The others giggled nervously.

A thin arc of light appeared, a doorway, opening slowly in the smooth side of the pod part of

the ship.

The opening grew, like a crescent moon at first, then a full, bright circle.

And then he appeared.

He was...I mean...Wow. He looked like something out of a mythology book more than an alien planet. The creature had a head, with shoulders and arms that were more or less the same as a humans, but with a pale shade of blue as skin. Below that was fur, a mix of blue and tan covering a four legged body like a deer. He was like a centaur, except he had no mouth, just three vertical slits, and then there were his eyes. Two of them were on his face where human eyes would have been, but then another two were on stalks above his head. The top of his body looked pretty weak, his arms were thin, almost muscle-less, but he was obviously designed for some sort of killing. The tail was obviously the inspiration for the one on the ship, a scorpions tail, wickedly curved.

"Hello," I said, making my voice as gentle as I could. I didn't want to scare him off, I was still smiling, but now for other reasons. The alien felt oddly familiar, as if I'd known him my entire life. I'd never felt that way with anyone, not even Rachel, who was instantly familiar to me somehow.

**Hello,** the alien said in my mind, I started to turn to see if the others had heard. I didn't need to.

"Hi," the others said back.

The alien took a step forward, staggered! He fell out of the ship and to the ground; as soon as he staggered I was springing into action. I don't normally have good reflexes, but this time I caught the alien, tried to hold him up. I was far too weak, and he slipped back into the dirt. I fell to my knees on the dirt beside him.

"Look!" Cassie cried. I didn't need to look at her to see what she was gesturing to. The alien's right side was burnt, the fur singed, "he's hurt!"

**Yes. I am dying,** he said.

"Can we help you? We can call an ambulance or something," Marco said.

"We can bandage that wound," Cassie said. "Jake, give me your shirt. We can tear it up and

make bandages."

**No. I will die. The wound is fatal.**

I couldn't help myself. Tears were falling from my face, I knew if Marco saw me I'd never hear the end of it at school, and yet that barely seemed the worst of my concerns. This alien couldn't die, already I felt as though we were...friends? I don't know. But I couldn't let him die. I _couldn't!_

"NO!" Jake cried. "You can't die. You're the first alien ever to come to Earth. You can't die." he sounded like he was holding back a sob too, it was oddly comforting.

**I am not the first. There are many, many others.**

"Other aliens? Like you?" I demanded, I was sure I'd have seen them cruising around, but if there were, maybe we could find them, maybe they could save him...I was prepared to try anything...

The alien shook his big head slowly, side to side, banishing that hope. **Not like me.**

Then he cried out in pain. It was horrible, it touched me in places I'd long ago buried, gashed into my chest like I'd been stabbed. As it subsided, one of my tears dripped onto his flank.

**Not like me,** he repeated. **They are different.**

"Different? How?" Jake said.

I think we will all remember his answer forever.

He said, **They have come to destroy you.**

**Chapter 3.**

**They have come to destroy you.**

Oh. Of course. Now it became clear. There were kind aliens, wonderful aliens, aliens who could make you feel like you'd been friends forever in an instant. All in all, the kind of aliens I always hoped I'd meet, but that wasn't the one that got to live. Good rarely triumphs over evil. And now...

I couldn't be surprised. I knew what he was saying was true, knew it in every fibre of my being, I didn't even try to deny it, but why? Why did this one have to die?

**They are called Yeerks. They are different from us. Different from you, as well.**

"And they're already here?" Cassie asked gently, but I could hear the desperation in her voice.

**Many are here. Hundreds. Maybe more.**

"Why hasn't anybody noticed them?" Marco said, and it was reasonable – for once, "I think someone would have mentioned it at school."

**You do not understand. Yeerks are different. They have no body, like yours or mine. They**

**live in the bodies of other species. They are . . . **

The picture that appeared in my head was not of my own imagination. When I imagined aliens, they tended to be much cooler. It was obviously an image the alien put in our minds, it looked like a slug, a fat slug. It wasn't pretty.

"I'm guessing that was a Yeerk," Marco said. "Either that or a very big wad of slimy chewing

gum."

**They are almost powerless without hosts. They - **

There was a stabbing sensation in my mind. Pain. Horrible, horrible pain. At first, I thought I'd been shot. But no, this was the alien's pain, it surged from my heart, up into my head, and back again. _How can he be living through this? _I wondered.

**The Yeerks are parasites. They must have a host to live in. In this form they are known as ****Controllers. They enter the brain and are absorbed into it, taking over the host's thoughts and ****feelings. They try to get the host to accept them voluntarily. It is easier that way. Otherwise ****the host may be able to resist, at least a little.**

"And then they..." I trailed off.

"Use us like puppets," Marco finished grimly.

"Look, this is serious stuff," Jake said. "You shouldn't be telling us. We're just kids, you know. This is like something the government should know about, or the army, or...man...anyone else."

**We had hoped to stop them,** the alien continued. **Swarms of their Bug fighters were ****waiting when our Dome ship came out of Z-Space. We knew of their mother ship and were ****ready for the Bug fighters, but the Yeerks surprised us - they had hidden a powerful Blade ****ship in a crater of your moon. We fought, but . . . we lost. They have tracked me here. They ****will be here soon to eliminate all traces of me and my ship.**

"How can they do that?" Cassie wondered, she obviously didn't watch enough sci-fi.

The alien seemed to smile with his eyes. **Their Dracon beams will leave nothing behind but ****a few molecules of this ship, and . . . this body** he said. **I sent a message to my home ****world. We Andalites fight the Yeerks wherever they go throughout the universe. My people ****will send help, but it may take a year, even more, and by then the Yeerks will have control of ****this planet. After that, there is no hope. You must tell people. You must warn your people!**

I closed my eyes as another spasm of pain ripped through me, it was almost enough to make me cry out, but if he could be brave through what must have been eternally worse, I wasn't going to cause a scene.

"No one is ever going to believe us," Marco said, and I felt his hopelessness. God, people didn't believe me when I told them ordinary things, like that I wasn't the one who broke the dishwasher, I had no hope with this, "No way."

The andalite looked at me, and I'm not sure why, but I felt as though he was looking into my soul, as though he had a personal interest in me. Yeah. I'm that starved of affection. Then he smiled with his eyes. Don't ask me how he did it, but he did, "perhaps..."

"What?" Jake asked.

**Go into my ship. You will see a small blue box, very plain. Bring it to me. Quickly! I have very little time, and the Yeerks will find me soon.**

I turned and we all looked at one another. I didn't want to go into the ship. Well...I did, because I was sure it would be awesome, but I didn't want to leave the alien. Not for anything. My eyes fell on Jake.

"Go ahead," I said, it seemed strange, me telling Jake what to do. "I want to stay with him." I still had my hand on the alien's shoulder, and I felt as though he appreciated the comfort I was trying to give.

"Go ahead," Cassie said. "You're not scared."

Jake walked over to the door of the ship, I watched him hesitate at the beginning, then he stepped inside.

**what is your name, young one?** the andalite asked, I looked around at the others, whilst Cassie fretted about getting a doctor and Marco fretted about his life. Neither of them were looking up, he was talking only to me.

"Tobias," I whispered, and I heard his intake of breath. Pain, I told myself. Nothing to do with me, "are you sure there's nothing we can do for you?"

**Nothing. I die happy knowing I found you...** he hesitated, for just a split second, **allies against the Yeerks.**

He let out a rippling sigh, and then went on, **This may seem very strange Tobias, but is your mother still alive?**

Okay, that was strange. I paused, looked down on him, wondered whether or not I should lie, decided against it. I couldn't lie to this creature, "I don't know. She left when I was very little...I think she's alive."

He nodded, a very human gesture, and cried out again. I felt no pain this time, only sadness, it was strange...

I was going to ask him about that, when Jake came out of the ship, looking ragged already, as though maybe in the last ten minutes he'd aged twenty years.

"Here's the box," he told the Andalite, cutting short any time we may have had to talk.

**Thank you.**

"I, um . . . was that your family? That picture?" maybe because I had never had a real family, I was surprised that the alien did. I wondered about that, was there any way we could send a message to them?

**Yes.**

I'm real sorry,"

**There is something I may be able to do to help you fight the Yeerks.**

We waited for him to tell us in his own time.

**I know that you are young. I know that you have no power with which to resist the Controllers. But I may be able to give you some small powers that may help.**

I stared at the alien. Powers. Now I wasn't entirely sure I wasn't in one of my daydreams. I got bullied on a daily basis, got the crap essentially kicked out of me, and this alien wanted me to fight? It was laughable...if it wasn't so serious.

**If you wish, I can give you powers that no other human being has ever had.**

"Powers?" Jake asked.

**It is a piece of Andalite technology that the Yeerks do not have,** the Andalite explained.

**A technology that enables us to pass unnoticed in many parts of the universe - the power to**

**morph. We have never shared this power. But your need is great.**

"To what now?" Marco asked.

**To change your bodies**, the Andalite said. **To become any other species. Any animal.**

Marco laughed derisively. "Become animals?" I didn't understand how he had that derisive note in his voice, in front of us we had a real life alien, _anything _was possible.

**You will only need to touch a creature, to acquire its DNA pattern, and you will be able to become that creature. It requires concentration and determination, but, if you are strong, you can do it. There are . . . limitations. Problems. Dangers, even. But there is no time to explain it all . . . no time. You will have to learn for yourselves. But first, do you wish to receive this power?**

"He's kidding, right?" Marco asked.

"No," I said, my voice was soft, but I was trying to bite down a snapping reply, "He's not kidding."

"This is nuts," Marco said. "This whole thing is nuts. Yeerks and spaceships and slugs taking

Over people's brains and Andalites and the power to change into animals? Give me a break."

"Yeah, it is beyond weird," Jake agreed.

"Will you stop it?" I asked, again in that soft voice, "He's _dying."_

"I'll do it," I expected Jake to be the first to decide, but the voice was high, feminine. Cassie.

"I think we should all decide together," Jake suggested. "One way or the other."

We all looked at one another. I knew what my answer was going to be, but I think the others knew that. I didn't feel a need to speak.

"No time!" the Andalite's voice was desperate in my mind, "the Yeerks are coming!" I could feel his hatred, and as I looked up, I saw the bright red lights in the distance.

Maybe it was the alien's hatred, but this time, I was scared. I could feel my heart beating in my chest so hard I could barely breathe. We didn't have long.

**CHAPTER 4**

**Yeerks!**

The red lights slowed in the sky. They turned in a circle and started back towards us. We'd been spotted!

**There is no more time. You must decide!**

"We have to do this," I said, trying to hurry the others along, "How else can we fight these Controllers?"

"This is so insane!" Marco said, and I was quickly coming to realise that it was quite possibly his favourite word, as though to reiterate my point, he said it again. "Insane."

"What do you say, Jake?" Cassie asked Jake, it was an important question. Jake was the one the others would follow. I would do it regardless, but the others I wasn't so sure about. If Jake said yes, they would, if not...well, maybe Cassie would. I hoped she would.

Jake looked up. And I knew what he was thinking. The bug fighters were coming closer, I didn't care, I moved closer to the Andalite.

I felt eyes burning in the back of my skull, and I turned around. Jake was staring at me, he shivered as I met his eyes, "we have to," I told him.

He nodded, but it was a slow nod, more of defeat than of willingness, "yes. We have no choice."

**Then each of you, press your hand against one of the sides of the square.**

Four hands pressed against the cube, one side each, two sides left. A sixth hand, different from ours, pressed on the bottom of the cube, and I had the strangest feeling that each of the squares should have been filled. I brushed it off.

**Do not be afraid,** the Andalite said, and I wasn't, not of the cube. The Yeerks, sure, they sounded bad. They scared me plenty. But this...to have the freedom of an animal...

The cube shocked me! I jumped, but it hadn't actually hurt, it was more tingling, a good feeling. I smiled.

**Go now,** the Andalite said. **Only remember this - never remain in animal form for more ****than two of your Earth hours. Never! That is the greatest danger of the morphing! If you stay ****longer than two hours you will be trapped, unable to return to human form.**

"Two hours," Jake repeated, as though committing it to memory, I wasn't paying attention. I was still on my knees, trying to comfort this brave, dying alien.

The Andalite was staring up at the sky, and I could feel the tremors of fear that ran up him. I wasn't feeling all too good myself, they were getting closer.

**Visser Three! He comes.**

"What?" Jake demanded, his voice was shaky, "What's a Visser? Who's a Visser?"

**Go now. Run! Visser Three is here. He is the most deadly of your enemies. Of all Yeerks he alone has the power to morph, The same power you now have. Run! He comes!**

We looked up, craning our necks. The two red lights were sinking towards us, but there was another ship, far larger, huge even.

"He's right. Run!" Jake yelled.

I don't know why, but I felt compelled to stay. As the others ran, not worried about the noise of their feet hitting the pavement, I stayed, took the Andalites hand. I didn't doubt these Yeerks would kill me, or hurt me, but better that than to run from the Andalite. He smiled with his eyes, pressed his hand against my head.

I could feel what the alien felt. All the waves of friendship and...something I imagined might feel like paternal love. He had lost many of his friends in the battle, and now, I saw myself as he saw me, brave, caring, it would hurt to lose me too. Especially me. I saw things, things I couldn't give a meaning or a name to, but things that I knew I would have to understand. I gave him a quizzical glance but he just smiled with his eyes, and I was up and running with the others. I didn't want to. I did it for the alien.

Red lights cast burning shadows on the ground in front of me, and I dived behind a pile of rubble, from there I sank into a crouch, half walked, half crawled to a half-crumbled wall not far away. The best hiding place I could see. When I got there, Jake and Cassie had already had the same idea. Marco appeared seconds later.

The Bug Fighters descended so slowly, as though they were in no particular hurry. As though they already knew the poor Andalite was doomed. They were shaped like legless cockroaches, bugs, the windows were the eyes, and on either side of the ship there were large sharp spears. Slugs, cockroaches, I always knew insects were evil.

The Yeerk Bug fighters touched down, one on either side of the Andalite ship.

"Okay, you can wake me up now," Marco said in a rattled whisper. "I've had enough of this dream."

God, if I could have woken up. I would have. Gone was the warm, fuzzy feeling of belonging the alien had given me, and now all I felt was terror.

The larger ship was approaching. I don't know if a ship has the ability to be evil, but if they do, that ship was pure evil. I couldn't breathe, my breathe was coming out in big rasping gasps. Far from the excitement I'd felt with the Andalite, all I could feel was terror. I wondered whether it was my own or the Andalites.

The ship settled toward the ground. It looked like it was going to land directly on a big rusted earthmover parked there. But as the Visser's ship descended, the earthmover just sizzled and disappeared.

The ship was built like a weapon, like an old fashioned axe, and it _looked _dangerous.

The Blade ship landed. A door opened.

The creatures didn't so much step from the ship as they leapt from it, slicing into the air. They were not creatures that filled you with love and happiness and made you want to hug them. For a start, if you tried, you'd probably get sliced in half. Every joint seemed to have a very sharp, very large, blade sprouting from it dangerously. A neck like a snake, a mouth that was almost a beak, and three dagger-like horns. These, unlike the Yeerks, were pretty cool-looking, but I had no desire to go any closer.

**Hork-Bajir-Controllers.**

The Andalite's voice was distant, almost as though he was calling from far away, still trying to help us in his last moments of life.

"Did you guys . . . ?" Jake asked, I nodded but said nothing. I didn't really want to call the attention of those creatures.

**The Hork-Bajir are a good people, despite their fearsome looks, **the Andalite said**. But ****they have been enslaved by the Yeerks. Each of them now carries a Yeerk in his head. They ****are to be pitied.**

I couldn't say I felt any pity for them. Surely, they had evolved only to kill.

But our attention was drawn away by a new form that crept and slithered and shimmied out of the Blade ship.

**Taxxon-Controllers, **the Andalite said. I knew he was trying to tell us all he could, even to

the end. Trying to prepare us for what we were up against,

**The Taxxons are evil.**

"Yeah," Marco muttered. "I think I would have guessed that."

They were like massive centipedes, twice as long as a grown man. So big around that if you tried to hug one, your arms wouldn't make it even halfway. Again, I couldn't imagine a situation in the world so desperate that I'd want to hug one.

They had dozens of legs that supported the lower two thirds of their bodies. The top third was held upright, and there the rows of legs became smaller, with little lobster-claw hands.

Around the top of their disgusting, tubular bodies were four eyes, each red, burning a dangerous ruby colour.

But I could have accepted all this without thinking they were pure evil, until I saw the mouth. The mouth was huge and ringed with hundreds of little sharp teeth.

Hork Bajir and Taxxons spilled from the ship; they were carrying small weapons that definitely looked like phasers. We definitely weren't home free yet.

Suddenly, one of the Hork-Bajir came straight toward us. He took one big, bounding step and

he was practically on top of us, he was right next to the wall. He had to see us! He must have seen us.

Almost as a unit, we dropped further down, hugging the dirt, trying to disappear. Cassie was the closest to me, her eyes were clenched shut and she was...praying?

I didn't entertain the thought of doing that myself. This was out of God's league.

**CHAPTER 5**

The bladed creature pointed his phaser, or whatever, around in the darkness. Not towards us, but rather in circles. _It's more for show, _I realised, _he hasn't seen us. _His head moved left to right, but he did not shoot.

**Silence!** the Andalite warned us. **Hork-Bajir do not see well in darkness, but their hearing is very good.**

The Hork-Bajir moved closer to us, so close I was nearly certain that he must have seen us, playing with his prey like a cat does. If he could hear well, he must have been able to hear us gasping for breath, our hearts beating heavier and heavier, and the whisper of Cassie's prayers.

If he was going to kill us, I just wished he'd get it over with. The anticipation...it was killing me. I felt as though my heart was going to jump through my throat. Every time I turned and refocused my eyes, I expected him to jump out of nowhere and attack.

I hoped if they were going to kill us, they'd at least use the phasers. I imagined they'd be less painful than a blade.

I'd never thought of myself as a brave person before. Ha Brave. The thought was laughable, I couldn't even handle the bullies at school, but I'd always thought I'd be better than this, not quivering in my own skin, teeth chattering, not even daring to turn in case something was there, but afraid not to.

But then the Andalite's voice was in my head again. **Courage, my friends.**

And this warm feeling came over me, encouraging and strong. It was like the Andalite was trying to give us some of his own courage. I imagined it was what a hug might feel like.

I was still more scared than I'd ever been in my life. the aliens were still there, and my God, they weren't any less scary, but I could feel my breathing come under control at last. I was able to fall silent.

The others must have felt the same, because the noise subsided and the Hork Bajir moved away. Something new was coming from the Blade Ship.

I didn't really want to see it. What if it was worse? How much more courage was the Andalite going to give us? Enough until he himself was terrified? I didn't know if it worked in that way, but the last thing I wanted was for the Andalite to have to be scared at the end.

"they're all standing at attention," Jake whispered, and that did it. I had to look. This must be the Visser.

"How can you tell?" Marco whispered back. "Who knows when a jelly-eyed centipede or a

walking Salad Shooter from Hell is standing at attention?"

But Jake was right, you could tell. Each alien seemed entirely subdued, standing in lines either side of the entrance to the blade ship. They were scared. If they were scared of their own kind, we should be terrified.

Then he appeared.

**Visser Three,** the Andalite said.

Visser Three was an Andalite.

Or at least he was an Andalite-Controller.

"An Andalite?" Jake whispered.

**Only once has a Yeerk been able to take an Andalite body,** the Andalite said. **There is ****only one Andalite-Controller. That one is Visser Three,**

It wasn't hard to tell the Andalites apart even when the Visser went closer to our friend. If I had felt that the first Andalite was a pillar of strength, a feeling of familiarity and bravery, then I felt the opposite about this Andalite. This one was more evil than his ship.

**Well, well,** Visser Three said.

I could hear his thoughts! Was I meant to? I looked around at the others.

"Can he hear our thoughts?" Cassie whispered.

"Quick, change your thoughts to undying allegiance to him just in case," Marco hissed back. He was joking. I Hope.

**He cannot hear your thoughts,** the Andalite said**. As long as you don't direct them to him. ****You hear his thoughts because he is broadcasting them for all to hear. This is a great victory ****for him, so he wants all to hear.**

**What have we here? A meddling Andalite?** Visser Three looked more closely at the Andalite's ship. **Ah, but no ordinary Andalite warrior. Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, if I** **am not mistaken. An honor to meet you. You're a legend. How many of our fighters have you** **shredded? Seven, or was it eight by the time the battle ended?**

The Andalite didn't answer out of pride, but I imagine it was more than eight.

**The very last Andalite in this sector of space. Yes, I'm afraid your Dome ship has been completely destroyed. Completely. I watched it burn as it fell into the atmosphere of this little world.**

**There will be others,** the Andalite prince said, I could only hope he was right.

The Visser took a step closer to the Andalite. **Yes, and when they come it will be too late. ****This world will be mine. My own contribution to the Yeerk Empire, Our greatest conquest. ****And then I'll be Visser One.**

**What do you want with these Humans?** the Andalite asked**. You have your Taxxon allies. ****You have your Hork-Bajir slaves. And other slaves from other worlds. Why these people?**

I was struck by the weirdest insight. It seemed as though the Andalite cared about us more than any other species. I wondered why? How?

**Because there are so many, and they are so weak,** Visser Three sneered. **Billions of bodies! And they have no idea what's happening. With this many hosts we can spread throughout the universe, unstoppable! Billions of us. We'll have to build a thousand new Yeerk pools just to raise Yeerks for half this number of bodies. Face it, Andalite; you have fought well and bravely. But you have lost**

Visser Three stepped up to the Andalite, the Andalite clambered to his feet. He did not want to die lying in the dirt in pain. He wanted to be strong. I looked down at my own hands. Could I do that?

No. I didn't even have to think about it.

But Visser Three was not done taunting his foe. **I promise you one thing, Prince Elfangor -when we have this planet, with its rich harvest of bodies, we will move against the Andalite home world. I will personally hunt down your family. And I will personally oversee the placement of my most faithful lieutenants in their heads. I hope that they will resist, so I can hear their minds scream.**

The Andalite struck!

That vicious tail, whipping up and over, so fast it was only a magnificent silver blur. The Visser twisted his head to the side, out of the way, and the Andalite's tail blade missed the Visser's head, but it sliced into his shoulder. Blood sprayed from the wound.

"Yes!" Jake hissed. I couldn't. It wasn't going to be enough. At least the Andalite was going down fighting.

**Aaaaaarrrrrgh!** I could hear the Visser's howl of pain in my head, yet it didn't hurt me like the Andalite's had.

At the same time, a blinding beam of blue light shot from the tail of the Andalite ship. It sliced into the nearest Bug fighter. Hork-Bajir and Taxxons scattered. At the very least, I supposed the Andalite had now destroyed nine fighters.

The heat was intense, even behind the wall it thrashed at my skin until the ship disappeared.

**Fire!** Visser Three yelled. **Burn his ship!**

The night exploded in blinding light. Red beams lanced from the Blade ship and the remaining Bug fighter. The Andalite ship glowed, and, with a strange slowness, disintegrated.

I couldn't take my eyes off the spot where the Andalite ship used to be. If they could do that to a ship...what could they do to the Andalite? To us?

"There are people over there," Jake told Marco.

"What? Are they prisoners?" Marco replied. I heard the conversation but as though it was from far away. _Keep quiet, _I willed them with my mind, _keep quiet, keep quiet, keep quiet, damnit!_

**Take the Andalite,** Visser Three ordered his soldiers. **Hold him for me.**

Three big Hork-Bajir grabbed the Andalite and held him down. Their wrist blades were at his throat, but they knew better than to kill him. That was to be Visser Three's personal privilege.

Then we saw why a Yeerk as powerful as Visser Three would inhabit the only captured Andalite body. As we watched, Visser Three began to morph. His Andalite head grew large, larger. Much larger. The four horse like legs merged into two and then expanded, each leg becoming as big around as a redwood tree. The delicate Andalite arms sprouted and became tentacles.

"This isn't real," Cassie whispered. "This isn't real."

In the hideously bloated head, a mouth appeared. It was filled with teeth as long as your arm. The mouth grew wider and wider, becoming a monstrous, terrifying grin. There was nothing left of the Andalite body, A monster had taken its place.

"R-r-r-r-a-a-a-w-w-w-w-g-g-g!" The roar of the beast Visser Three had become made the ground shake.

It felt as though my ears were bleeding. I pressed the right one against the side of the wall and my hand against the other one.

"R-r-r-r-r-r-a-a-a-a-g-g-g!"

I heard whimpering. At first I thought it was me, I felt like whimpering. Then I realised something scarier: it was Jake.

Visser Three had become a monster that made the Hork-Bajir and the Taxxons look like harmless toys. He reached out with one thick tentacle and grabbed the Andalite by the neck.

"No, no, no," I heard Cassie whispering over and over again. "No, no, no, no." She buried herself into Jake's shoulder, who reached for her hand. I looked away, wishing selfishly that I had someone to make this easier.

Visser Three lifted the Andalite straight up in the air, tearing him from the grasp of the Hork-Bajir. The Andalite prince struck again and again with his tail. But each strike was like a pinprick against such a creature.

Visser Three held the Andalite high in the air.

And then Visser Three opened his mouth wide.

**CHAPTER 6**

It was awful. I couldn't watch. I had never seen anyone die, and I didn't _want _to watch someone die, especially not in this way. I clenched my eyes shut, but only moments later, a noise caused them to slam open again.

"You filthy - "

Jake was on his feet. He had a piece of rusted iron pipe and was trying to climb over the wall. He'd lost his cool...Jake. Unshakeable Jake...He'd gone mad. He'd seen what those phasers could do, how could he even hope to stand against them?

**No!**

The Andalite's cry drove us all into action. Jake paused, if only for a second, and Marco's arm shot up to grab Jake's shirt and pull him back. Marco tried to hold him down, but Jake was struggling again, trying to go back over the wall, so I grabbed his other side and clamped my hand over his mouth. He opened his mouth, made desperate gargling noises, nipped the skin of my hand with his teeth.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Marco hissed. "You're just going to get us all killed."

"Jake, don't." Cassie put her hand on his cheek. "He doesn't want you to die for him. Don't

you realize? He's dying for us."

He shoved up, and both Marco and I fell back, but he seemed under control. At least, he stopped trying to get over the wall.

I looked over the wall again, expecting a small army of Taxxons and Hork Bajir looking down on us. Instead, everything was going on as if nothing had happened. How had they not heard Jake? His voice had sounded impossibly loud to me.

Instead, everyone was focused on Visser Three and the Andalite. The Andalite was helpless, grasped by Visser Three. The Visser opened his horrible, gaping mouth and the Andalite just fell in. I wanted to close my eyes, but the Andalite deserved for us to watch this. I watched as the mouth closed, as the teeth ripped the Andalite apart. And there, Prince Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul died.

He cried out, a chilling cry that was filled with despair and horror. It was going to be the cause of nightmare after nightmare. I could feel that even then.

The Hork Bajirs made a horrible noise. A whuh-whuh-whuh noise. It took me a few minutes to realise they were laughing. The Taxxons rushed forward and crowded around Visser Three. At first I thought it might be some kind of ritual...like prayer or something, but then I realised why. A piece of the Andalite fell from the Visser's mouth and the nearest Taxxon ate it up.

I couldn't stand it...treating the Andalite as though he was food...I turned away and covered my face with my hands. I'd watched, I'd done my duty to the Andalite. I didn't need to see anymore.

Human laughter, for a moment, was the loudest noise, but it subsided and was replaced with the whuh-whuh-whuh of the Hork-Bajir. What creatures could laugh at what just happened? It was horrible, even if you wanted someone dead...

Visser Three morphed out of his monstrous form and slowly regained his Andalite body.

**Ah,** I heard him think, **nothing like a good Antarean Bogg morph for . . . taking a bite out ****of your enemies.**

it wasn't funny, but then people were laughing again. Humans, Taxxons, and the Hork-Bajir. That horrible, horrible laughing. I covered my ears. Cassie looked at me strangely.

Marco started throwing up. It was an understandable thing to do. But somehow that sound

caught the attention of the nearest Hork-Bajir.

The snake head turned. He was perfectly still.

We were perfectly still.

I panicked. My fears had come true. He was looking straight at us, and soon we'd be dead. I was up and running before I even knew what I was doing.

I ran. I gasped for air.

A cry went up from the Hork-Bajir.

"Split up," Jake yelled. "They can't follow all of us."

We did, we all four went in different directions. My heart was hammering at my ribs. I'm too gangly and unfit to be a good runner. Far too thin, with almost no muscle. I was tripping over my own feet as much as any rocks and iron. Cassie and Marco were behind too, only Jake was ahead. He seemed to realise this, because he slowed and turned around.

"Come on!" Jake shouted, and then shouted some obscenities that sounded strange coming from Jake's mouth; he waited until the enemies followed him before he took off again.

I appreciated it, but Jake shouldn't always have had to protect me – us, it's not just you Tobias, I reminded myself – but I didn't stop. I didn't stop running until I was home.

Suddenly, my uncle didn't seem so scary.


	4. Chapter 7

Still don't own the animorphs. Just own the little bits here and there which is actually mine :P ahaha

As a side note, I'm upping the rating to a T because I'm not sure how much I can get away with on a K+...These few chapters are kind of showing you how crummy Tobias' life is, and how he might actually want to be an animal forever.

**Chapter 7**

I ran through my front door, slammed it behind me and started to make my way up the stairs. Home free. Finally. I'd never been so glad to see the place. I was nearly at the top step when I heard him.

"Tobias? Get down here!"

My uncle. Great. And I could tell by the slur in his voice that his drinking had not subsided since eight o'clock that morning when I'd left for school. There was banging coming from the living room, the sounds of my cat, Dude, yowling. I wasn't there so he was bullying my cat instead.

I had to go down. I didn't want to. Tears were streaming down my face still, my breath still coming out in pathetic ragged gasps that I couldn't control, but if I didn't go down he would only come upstairs, and then I'd have had no time to sit and cry.

I stepped into the living room. It wasn't particularly big, room for two chairs and a television. The television was on now, but it wasn't on anything I should be watching, that's for sure. The walls were once white, but now a stained yellow from the cigarette smoke, the carpet stained from the times my uncle fell asleep and dropped his beer over it. It was a pretty dismal place.

Beer cans were strewn all over the ruddy brown carpet. A couple of bottles of Southern Comfort were lying by the side of my uncle's chair. Subconsciously, I picked the closest rubbish up and threw it in the bin. I'd only have to tidy this mess tomorrow anyway.

"Where you been, boy?" my uncle mumbled from the chair. The chair, like almost everything else, was brown, holey. My Uncle's life had fallen apart when my Aunt left him.

"Out," I told him, "the mall with some friends."

"Ha," he laughed from the chair, but his voice didn't really change. It was the same monotone we both spoke in day after day, "you aint got no friends."

I couldn't really argue with that, "the mall," I repeated.

He didn't say anything for the longest time. I stood in the doorway. I couldn't leave until he let me, I'd never hear the end of that, but I didn't want to say anything to remind him I was there either. I waited there, trying not to shake with the horror of the night, waiting for him to say something.

Finally, he staggered up from the chair, cast his bloodshot eyes upon me. Onceover, he was meant to have been good looking, a real ladies man. Now, he was a mess. More of a mess than me, even. He looked me squarely in the face, and as he spoke, spittle flew in all directions, mostly at my face.

"You...You're worthless," he told me, still in that mumble, but louder now, "why'd you come here?" expletives, "I don't want you. Shit, even your own parents didn't want you," his breath smelt of stale alcohol, the foul stench clinging even when he drew in a clean breath, "you use this house...think you can come and go as you please, do you? Well you can't...you stay or you go. Your choice."

He pushed me, back towards the doorway, that was my cue to leave, but something in my head triggered. Maybe it was the frustration of letting that Andalite Prince die, not being able to do anything about it. I don't know. But I didn't even think about it, as soon as I was pushed back, I was up again, pushing him. I pushed him, and he sprawled back against the fireplace. I realised what I'd done seconds too late, stepped forward and held my hand out. I had this crazy thought that if I helped him up everything would be okay.

Of course, it wasn't.

He took my hand in his left, and I helped him up, but as he stood, he had a poker in his right hand. One of those old fashioned ones, for a coal fire. It was heavy, iron. With my hand still in his, I couldn't move as he slammed it down on my wrist.

I cried out in pain, but really, it was nothing compared to the pain I'd shared with the Andalite; it was enough to bring fresh tears to my eyes though, and I tugged my wrist out of his grasp.

Grabbing Dude on the way out with my good hand, I ran up the stairs to the sound of my uncle's laughter. It wasn't as bad as the laughter at Elfangor's pain, but it wasn't much better either. I clenched my eyes and tried to block it out.

Laughter. It was a sick world when people could laugh at others pain.

* * *

I sat on my bed, crying silently. I was nursing a wrist that was almost definitely broken, or at least fractured, every time I moved it, it was agony. Dude wasn't looking too good either. He'd definitely been kicked around a little. I hated that my uncle did that, but I wasn't willing to give Dude up either. He was my only friend.

Selfish, I know. Hell, I never claimed to be perfect. Anything but, really.

As though he could read my thoughts, Dude jumped on the bed. One perfect spring, straight up, and he was beside me.

_It must be great, _I thought, _to have all that freedom. To come and go when you please. To not even have to come back if you didn't want to. _

I was stroking him, and I didn't even realise that I was concentrating on becoming a cat until he went still underneath me. At first, for a horrible few seconds, I thought he was dead too.

I'd dealt with too much death that night. I couldn't have my cat die on me too. As stupid as it sounds, that cat meant more to me than anything. I looked down.

No, he was still breathing...in moments he was back to himself again, lolling under my touch, rolling to let me stroke his furry tummy.

I stared at my hands. Was it possible? Had I actually just...no. I couldn't have. It couldn't be that easy, could it?

I lifted my hand from Dude's stomach, stared at it. _Think about being a cat, think about becoming Dude. Freedom. Cat naps. A springy jump._

I was about to give up when the changed started, I looked down at my hands, they were changing, fur was sprouting on the back of them.

"Arrrghhh!" I yelled.

"Yowww!" Dude yelled back at me.

I tried to calm myself. Okay, I expected this to happen. It was nothing to worry about.

Still, it was so cool; I mean, you have no idea how cool it was. I was actually becoming my pet cat.

Dude wasn't impressed though. He was standing straight up, his belly rub all but forgotten about, fur standing on end as he yowled. I reached for him, and he swiped out, clawing the back of my hand.

"Crap!" I yelled, moving away from him, "Dude, it's just me!"

I tried to reverse the morph. _Human, Tobias, Human! _It wasn't going quick enough. Dude was backing up, preparing to either run or attack, and he'd probably figured out that there was nowhere to run in the little box room.

"Crap," I muttered, quietly this time, reaching for Dude. The pain on my wrist was horrible as Dude thrashed and tried to twist from my grasp, but I managed to scoop him up, open the door and place him outside. He gave one last long look at me before racing for the windowsill in our hallway.

I closed the door, went back to my bed. Tried to focus on becoming Dude. It wasn't fast, but slowly I felt myself begin to shrink. I went from six foot to a foot high, toppled onto my front legs and almost landed face first on the carpet, clothes strewn over me. But...I was a cat. I was _Dude._

_Something moved! Chase it! Chase it! _Subconsciously I knew it was only the curtain flapping in the breeze, but I didn't care. I bounded to it, sat on my haunches and pounced. Attacked the moving object with teeth and claws until it stopped moving. When it stopped moving, it became boring. I looked around, started jumping on the bed, on the desk... Movement!

The door was moving, opening. I jumped towards the movement, saw a big human walk through the door, and had to resist the temptation to pounce on his shoe laces.

"Dumb kid, where's he gone to now?" the human muttered. The words made no sense to me for the longest time, and I turned my head to the side. Kid? What kid? I jumped at the door as it swung closed, and the human kicked me in the face to stop me going through it before it slammed shut.

"Yowww!" I cried, flattening my ears down on my head, running under the bed as fast as I could. Tobias' bed. _My _bed.

_My bed! _Me! Tobias! I wasn't a cat. I was the boy. I was the dumb kid that wasn't in his room, where the big human expected him to be. Underneath my bed, I slowly demorphed back to human, wishing I could keep the freedom forever, then, exhausted, I fell asleep, naked but no longer in pain.

I dreamed of Elfangor and had to watch again and again as he was ripped apart before my eyes.

* * *

**Rachel will be in the next chapter (:  
I get all giddy and excited about stuff like that, because I love R+T pairings.**

Anyway, reviews and flames are certainly appreciated :D


	5. Chapter 8 til 11

* * *

I don't own the animorphs (: though I would like to own Tobias ;)

As it turns out, writing fanfiction actually seems good for my health. I write 1000 words of my serious writing, then I write a chapter of fanfic, then a 1000 words of my serious writing, etc etc etc. The result is I'm getting fairly disciplined =D poor you ahaha

I'm not sure if I like the way this has turned out... so it may be rewritten eventually but...for now. here's chapter's 8-11

Chapter 8.

The first thing I did when I woke up, sweating and breathing hard, was sit up. Without thinking about it, I sat in bed, prepared myself to scream, and instead felt pain as my head crashed against the wood of the bed.

"Aarghhowww," I yelled, somewhere between scream and yowl of pain. I reached my hand to my head, rubbed it, then brought my hand back down, stared at it. It was a hand. Just a normal, human hand.

_My _normal, human hand.

Yet it was no longer swollen, pulsating with pain. I flexed my wrist. Nothing.

_Was it all a dream?_

The fact that I was naked and sleeping under my bed told me probably not. It wasn't a regular habit of mine.

But if it wasn't a dream, that meant I had to accept all of it – _all of it _– the yeerks, the andalites, the powers...

I dragged myself out from under my bed, stood up. I concentrated on Dude once more. This time it was the tail that came first, brushing up against the back of my legs as it formed.

I reversed the morph quickly, pulled on a fresh pair of boxers and the clothes I'd been wearing yesterday. They were dirty, but I didn't care. I had to go see the others. Well, Jake actually, I didn't know where the others lived.

I pushed my fingers through my hair. That was enough of a combing for now, and started downstairs. Dude was still on the windowsill where he'd bounded to the night before, as I passed I reached out to pet him and he scratched away my fingers.

_Great, I guess now my cat hates me too._

Jake's house, as it turned out, was a big two storey house on the _right _side of town. It was well presented, the white paint shone and the garden was well kept, unlike mine, which was strewn with empty bottles my uncle thought was a good idea to just toss out.

I knocked on the door, then shoved my hands in my pockets. What made me think it would be a good idea to be here? I stuck out like a sore thumb. Would Jake's parents even let me in the house looking like I did?

Turns out they would. Jake's mother, a rather short woman with thick brown hair, answered the door and peered at me. I twisted my face into a smile.

"Hi, is Jake in?"

She smiled back, "well, he's definitely in. Awake may be another matter," she opened the door wider, "why don't you come in? I'll take you to his room."

I followed the woman into the house. It was difficult. So many normal emotions in one house. A picture of Jake, his brother, and his parents hanging in the hallway. A bike pressed against the stairway and a skateboard somewhat hidden behind it, rollerblades near the bottom of the stairs. Clustered, but a normal family house.

I felt so out of place as I walked up those stairs, adorned by photographs and paintings.

"What's your name?" Jake's mother's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I got the feeling she may have asked once already.

"Tobias," I said, followed by "ma'am."

She smiled once more at me, and then banged on the door closest to us, "Jake! Are you awake in there?"

A groggy groaning came from inside the room. I forgot that most people didn't like to get up at nine o'clock on a Saturday morning, "um yeah, I'm up."

"Your friend Tobias is here," she shouted back.

Friend? Was that what I was? Probably not. Acquaintance would probably cover that better. Or maybe ally. I kept my mouth shut.

"Tobias?" Jake asked, sounding confused. His mother sent a puzzled look at me, as though maybe she'd realised I could possibly be one of those axe-murderers she'd warned her son so heavily against.

"It's me," I said, trying to make my voice just a little bit louder than usual, "can I come in?"

"Um, sure," that's all I needed to hear, I opened the door. Held back a moment to say thank you to his mum, who was walking away from the door now.

I didn't know how to start, but now that I was actually there, about to tell Jake all about it, I got the same excited feeling I'd had the night before. I could feel the corners of my mouth trying to twist into a grin and I went with it, I was moving. Pacing from one place to another, my knee was bouncing uncontrollably.

Jake, of course, looked at me as though I was – to steal Marco's word – insane.

"I did it," I told him.

He raked his fingers through his hair, yawned, he didn't seem half as excited as I was, "what are you talking about?"

I couldn't think of a particularly articulate way to tell him, so I just said, "I became Dude."

His mouth snapped shut. Actually snapped shut. It would have been comical had he not looked so deadly serious, "huh?"

I realised I hadn't said it particularly quietly. I glanced around, kept myself alert, just in case anyone might be coming down the hallway and overhear – we couldn't trust anyone now – "I became Dude, just like the Andalite said!"

Jake stared at me. It was okay, he just didn't understand yet. I had just woken up after all.

I couldn't keep still. I paced to his desk, paused, snapped my fingers, paced back. It was great, my excitement from the night before was back full force now, it was everything I could do not to break into song. "It was so amazing. It didn't hurt or anything. I was petting him, and thinking about the whole thing last night, right? So I thought, why not give it a try?"

It wasn't exactly how it had happened, but it didn't matter. I didn't want Jake to know about my pathetic life any more than he already did.

"I didn't know how to begin, so I just made sure my door was locked. Fortunately, my uncle was asleep." _Read: drunk. _Again, Jake didn't need to know that.

"So there I was, just sitting on my bed, thinking about it. Concentrating. Thinking about

becoming Dude. I looked down at my hand." He grinned at me. "What do you think I saw,

Jake?"

Jake shook his head, like it was a bad thought he didn't want to come true, "I don't know."

"I had fur, Jake. And I was growing claws. You should have seen the real Dude. He went nuts. I had to put him outside before I could morph all the way. He clawed me up pretty good." I stuck my sliced finger from this morning in my mouth, could still taste the coppery blood even though the wound had mainly sealed.

"Um, Tobias," Jake was looking at me as though I was crazy, some of my giddy enthusiasm was wearing off. He still didn't understand, "is it possible you maybe just dreamed all this?"

"Not a dream, it's all true, Jake. All of it."

All of it. The Yeerks, The Andalite, The hideous aliens...the powers.

I met his eyes. I understood why he didn't want to remember. Most of it, I didn't even want to remember. But he had to, we had a duty now.

"I just kept concentrating on changing," I said, still trying to convince him, "and in a few minutes, I was . . . not myself anymore."

I narrowed my eyes, continued on, it wasn't like me to ramble, but I couldn't help it, "You have no idea what it's like, Jake. Being a cat is so . . . it's . . . I can't even describe it. You're so strong, for one thing. Just all this coiled power, and the way you can move! You know what I did? I jumped onto my dresser Three feet straight up in the air, and I landed like a feather. Three feet! You know how high that is when you're a cat? It's like a person jumping maybe thirty feet straight up."

I stopped. Jake hadn't moved, at all. He was still sitting in that spot, just watching me, his hand at the back of his neck, "You don't believe me, do you?" I said.

"Look, Tobias, it's just that sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between something real and something you're just imagining or dreaming."

"You think I'm crazy."

Jake seemed to be choosing his words very carefully, he let out a long, low breath, "I don't know, Tobias, let's review the facts. You say you turned into your own pet cat. Turned into an actual cat. Yes, I have to say that sounds crazy to me."

I nodded, tried to smile. "I understand, Jake." I really did. He had been thrown from his perfect life into this. He didn't want it. He didn't see it as freedom. Plus, he hadn't experienced it himself yet. "You still don't want it to be true."

"What? You mean do I want to believe that you can change yourself into a cat? And all the rest of it? Do I wanted believe that Earth is being invaded by slimy slugs who live in people's brains and turn them into slaves? Do I want to believe that . . . that . . . Duh! No! I don't want to believe any of it."

"And how about the Andalite?" I asked. If he had felt anything that I had felt with the andalite, even a tiny bit of it, he would never want to forget him.

Jake's mouth formed a grimace, and I knew I'd gotten him, I put my hand on his arm, "stay right there."

"What?" he demanded, "What are you going to do?"

The only thing I could do, "I'm going to help you decide whether it's real or not."

"Tobias . . ."

"Just wait, and don't scream or anything."

He did it. He didn't want to do it; that much was obvious. He wanted to swear I think, maybe tell me to get out of his room, but curiosity rooted him there. I stood in front of him, willed for myself to change.

For a few terrifying seconds, nothing happened. I was beginning to worry. If I didn't change, and Jake told anyone...well, my life would be more hell than usual, but then I felt the change begin.

My eyes were the first thing to change. Not that I could see them, but I could feel the change. It felt like they were compressing, my eyesight went slightly worse, slightly more blurry. Nothing to worry about, just a slight difference, but enough, then my mouth started stretching. Then came the shrinking. Strange, that had been first last time. My clothes were getting baggy, scrunching up at my neck and ankles and fur was spouting from my arms.

Jake looked like he was considering either bursting out with laughter or bursting out of his room. Neither would be good.

I could hear his heart beating. The cat inside was really good at hearing any type of movement, I watched him with interest, amazed at how different he seemed to the cat instincts.

I knew when I had fully changed not by the mind that was now more cat than human, but by the deep intake of breath Jake let out when it was done.

I was a cat again.

And it was awesome.

Chapter 9.

"I hope I'm asleep," Jake muttered. "I really do."

I sighed inside my head. When was he going to realise? When was he going to accept what he had to do? You're not asleep, man, Jake, **You're not asleep.**

"Is that you?" Jake asked.

What? Did he actually hear me? Could he read my thoughts now? That was going to be embarrassing... but he wasn't acknowledging me in anyway. I stared at him, tried to think at him, **can you hear me?**

"...yes," Jake said eventually.

**I didn't know I could send thoughts like this, **I said. Oh boy, that was an understatement, **Just like the Andalite.**

"I guess it only works when you're . . . morphed." Jake looked annoyed, I don't think at me, but annoyed nonetheless.

I didn't care. I wanted to play, **hey watch this!**

I leaped through the air! There was a ball in my sights, it had moved slightly in the wind, and now I was going to chase it! I pounced on it, landed across the baseball. The jump had seemed huge, but it was worth it. the ball was still again.

**That is so excellent! Hey, pull a string for me to chase.**

"Pull a string?" poor Jake, he sounded confused. Or upset. Maybe it was because he wasn't getting to play too. He should morph too, he'd love it. it'd be great."Why?"

**Because it's so fun!**

I heard shuffling about, the sound of a drawer being opened.

"How's this?" he asked, dangling the string in front of me. He drew the string slowly across the floor, right in front of my nose. It moved! Get it! I settled back on my haunches and prepared to pounce. Right, now! I landed on the string, grabbed it in my mouth, and began trying to tear the string. Stop the movement... I'd just managed when.

Aaarrrghh! The string moved again. I pounced on it! Got it again. That was so fun.

.

**Yes! Got it!**

"Tobias, what are you doing?"

**Pull it faster! **He did. I still caught it. I was good at that game. If only there was live prey, a real challenge, **I see it! I got it!**

"Tobias, what are you doing?" Jake shouted. "You're playing with a string!"

His voice penetrated my mind...I was...I was playing with a string. Worse, I was going mad for the string. What was the matter with me? I stopped, dropped the string and looked up at Jake.

**I . . . I don't know,** I said. **It's like . . . like I'm me, but I'm also Dude. I want to chase strings, and oh man, if only there was a real, live mouse around! I'd really love to track it. To follow it so quietly. To listen to its heartbeat. To hear its scratchy little feet. I'd wait till just the right moment, and then a perfect pounce through the air, claws stretched out . . . **I showed Jake how I would do it, stretching on my haunches, my front claws extended.

"Tobias, I think we're learning something here," Jake said. The only thing I was learning was how to catch a mouse, cat-style, but I had the feeling thats not what he meant.

**What? What are we learning?**

"I think you aren't just Tobias. You really are a cat. I mean, you have all the same instincts.

You want to do the things a cat wants to do."

Oh, I wasn't learning that. It was great doing all the things the cat wanted to do. **Yes. I can feel it. It's like I'm two different animals melded into one. I can think like a person and like a cat**

"You'd better change back," Jake said.

I didn't really want to. It's far more fun being a cat than a human, but the demonstration was over. I knew I'd made a believer out of Jake, I nodded, surprisingly difficult to do as a cat, **You're right.**

It was only halfway through the morph back to human that I realised I was going to be naked. I got through the morph as quickly as possible, then reached straight for my clothes, tried to make light of it, "maybe with some practise we can figure out how to change back into our clothes?"

"We?"

I smiled, he hadn't figured it out yet. "Don't you get it yet, Jake? If I can do it, so can you."

Jake shook his head. "I don't think so, Tobias."

What was wrong with him? Did he really think that I was the only one who could do it? that I was unique. My god, I was nothing. I grabbed him by both his shoulders and shook him. Something I usually wouldn't have dared to do. _Me _shaking _Jake. _"don't you understand? If I can do it! so can you!"

He looked like he was going to reply, like he was going to argue, but we were both stopped by a knocking at the door.

Had I been too loud? I was annoyed, but I didn't think I'd been shouting.

"Who is it?" Jake shouted as I let go of his shoulders.

"It's me," a female voice came through the door, but not his mum. Definitely not his mum. This sounded like...

"Rachel?" Jake asked, "What are you doing here?"

Chapter 10

I looked around Jake's room quickly, made sure there was no sign that there had ever been a cat in there. Nope. Nothing. I looked at Jake, waiting for instruction, but he just shrugged back at me.

"I'm _not _going to talk to you through a wooden door," she said, raising her voice loud enough to be heard three houses over, "let me in, damnit."

Jake threw a desperate look my way, then yelled, "The doors open, just come in."

Rachel walked in. and man, here's the thing about Rachel. She was mad, she was completely flustered, and she had a look of utter madness in her eyes, and yet she still looked like a goddess. Her outfit completely matched; there wasn't a hair out of place. She looked untouched.

And then there was me in muddy jeans, my hair sticking out in all directions.

Rachel looked from Jake, to me, and then back to Jake. If she was surprised to see me at Jake's house, she didn't say anything. She slammed the door behind her with a bang, and Jake flinched. Rachel didn't care; she took a step further, hissed in Jake's face, "what the _hell _is going on?"

"Umm?" Jake looked at me, as though he expected me to have a plan.

"Well, we were thinking about going to the mall," I offered lamely.

Jake rolled his eyes, then jumped when he saw Rachel shooting her ice princess glare on him.

"I'm not screwing around," she cursed, "you guys are in major trouble."

"What?" Jake demanded, "What on Earth are you talking about?"

"You _know,_" Rachel cursed.

"No idea," Jake shrugged.

"None," I added shakily, "at all."

"Really?" Rachel drew the word out, tossed her long blonde hair over her shoulder, glared at us both, Jake – the big strong m-a-a-a-n – was shaking looking at her. I didn't know if that was more because she might know our secret or just because it was Rachel, "because, yesterday when you all went off, I went back for that sweater. I'm wearing it now," she gestured to it.

"It looks great," I put in, trying to be helpful.

She smiled at me; it was a nice smile before she went plundering on, "it was reduced. Twenty percent off. So I decided I might as well buy a nice pair of trousers too. So I stuck around for a bit."

I looked at Jake, hoping that he could maybe shred some light on the situation. He looked back at me hopelessly.

At least, if Rachel was talking about shopping, it couldn't be that bad.

Could it?

"Anyway, it was late when I left. All the shops were closing. So I guess it was around nine," she shrugged, "and I started to walk home near the construction site."

"So you didn't actually go in it?" Jake asked.

"No," she threw him a glare, "and not because I'm a girl either. It's because _I'm _not an idiot."

I let out a sigh of relief I'd been holding since Rachel got there. Perhaps a little bit too early.

"But as I was walking, someone stopped me," Rachel told them, "said that there'd been some kids in the construction site," her eyes were dancing between Jake and I, "said there'd been a fight and the kids had ran off and left someone seriously injured. Needed hospital help? If I saw the kids I should report them to the police immediately. Any of this sounding familiar?"

None of it did. Maybe that was why I was able to say this with a clean conscience, "Rachel," she looked at me, and I nearly backed out, "we weren't in a fight, and we wouldn't have left someone injured...I know you don't really know me...but Jake and Cassie were there. It wasn't us."

A small smile passed her lips, "actually, for a while, I was worried it might have been you injured," she looked pointedly at me, then turned away, I was confused to say the least. Why would she care? "So this morning as soon as the paper came I read it, to make sure you were okay" she opened her bag, took out the paper, and passed it to Jake.

I stepped up behind him and read over his shoulder, the article wasn't very long. Police claimed there had been a disturbance at the construction site the night before. Several people had called, claiming they'd seen flying saucers landing there, followed by bright lights.

Jake looked up, and I knew he was fighting for control, "flying saucers?" he made a really good attempt at a cynical laugh.

"Keep reading," Rachel said.

I did. The article went on to say that the police had arrived on the scene and found a group of teenagers playing with fireworks. The teenagers had ran away. Fireworks were discovered at the scene. There was a reward for any information about these teenagers.

All I could think was, _why would the police lie? How many people are actually infested? And why do they have conflicting stories?_

What I said was, "what's this got to do with some injured kid?"

"Nothing," Rachel said, "so it's obvious someone's lying. Either that person running about last night, or the newspapers today, or both of them. And I want to know who," she snatched the newspaper out of Jake's hands, "or maybe I phone this number and tell people that I know four people who happened to walk through the construction site last night."

"You can't do that!" Jake yelled and Rachel smiled smugly.

"Then tell me the truth," she said simply. Jake and I looked at one another, each willing the other with our eyes to say something.

If she was a controller, she already knew the truth.

If she wasn't, she could never know the truth.

And for once, my imagination was failing me.

**Chapter 11.**

"Rachel...we didn't even go through the construction site," Jake said with a laugh.

"What?" she narrowed her eyes angrily.

"We decided against it. I mean, I know it's quicker, but there could be _murderers _there! It's dangerous!"

"Is that true?" her head snapped round to look at me.

I gulped, "yeah. We went the long way round."

She looked disappointed, deflated, "something strange is going on," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"Not with us," Jake shrugged, "but it is strange they're so uptight about fireworks."

"Why do you even care if I phone them if you weren't there?" Rachel asked suspiciously, eyes still narrowed.

"No one would believe we _weren't _there," I filled in, "my uncle would send me back to my aunts in an _instant." _I tried to look worried. As it turned out, it wasn't difficult. I was plenty worried. Mainly about things involving her.

"And you know how strict my 'rents are," Jake reminded her, "If they even thought I'd walked through the construction site I'd be grounded until I was twenty."

She threw herself down on the bed, "fine," she said, noncommittally, "it's just weird... you know. Coincidence."

"Yeah, coincidence," I agreed.

There was a scratching noise at the door, and both Jake and I jumped. Our eyes met before he stood up and slowly opened the door. His dog bounded in and jumped on the bed beside Rachel.

"I can't get in touch with Cassie, or Marco. I thought at least one of them would be here," Rachel said, frustrated, with a tone in her voice which made it obvious she didn't entirely believe us.

"Strange," Jake said, he tried to sound unbothered, but he looked sick. As soon as Rachel left, he would no doubt be on the phone.

We sat around uncomfortably for a moment or two. I watched Jake plop on his bed, and saw beside him as his dog went entirely still. He was acquiring it's DNA.

I stood up, wiped my hands on my pants, tried to seem natural, "well I'm off," I said, trying to sound natural, "see you guys later."

"Yeah, see you man, I'll phone you later, okay?" he met my eyes and I nodded.

"My number's in the book."

Then Rachel spoke, "wait up. I'll walk with you."

Even as we left, I could hear Jake furiously tapping the numbers on the phone.

* * *

We had gone out the door and walked about four steps up the drive, me with my hands in my pockets, Rachel with her proud strong walk when she stopped, span around in front of me, "I know you were at the construction site," she told me.

"What?" I asked stupidly. I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't think properly.

"I know you were at the construction site," she repeated, "all of you."

I should have tried to deny it, I should have made up an excuse. I should have done _something. _Instead, all I managed was something that sounded like a squeak, "how?"

"Because you and Jake are both pathetically bad liars," she said, she smiled, and started walking again, "it doesn't matter though. I will find out."

"It's nothing," I said softly, "we didn't do anything."

"Oh really?" she asked, falling into step beside me, "and since when have you and Jake been so chummy? I mean, Jake doesn't normally get out of bed before noon for anyone."

I gulped, "I needed his help on the...umm... English homework."

"Jake would be lucky to get a C in English," she informed me flippantly, "and there's no way he'd get up so early just to work on it."

I said nothing. What could I say? She knew her own cousin better than I did.

She stared at me, "if you won't tell me. I'll go back to the construction site and find out myself."

That stopped me. There could still be controllers there. I put my hand on her arm, stopped her, "no!"

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous there."

She looked at me, raised her eyebrows, "wow, you're even starting to _sound_ like Jake."

"No. It's not dangerous just for girls... I... we..." I took a deep breath, "something did happen there, Rachel, but it's not something I could tell you...it's not as simple as fireworks...and... you don't want to know. Trust me. But there are bad people, and if you go there...I don't know what they'd do..."

A lie of course. I knew exactly what they'd do. They'd infest her. I couldn't tell her that though.

"You're serious about this aren't you?" she asked, she met my eyes and frowned.

"Deadly serious," I shuddered, grabbed for her hand, "you have to _promise. _Promise you won't go there!"

She took a step back, looked at our entwined hands. I dropped the hand quickly, but she looked back up under long eyelashes and shook her head, "you're acting crazy."

"I know," I pleaded, "but you have to trust me."

She shook her head, "I don't understand any of this... how can I trust you?"

I had no answer to that, all I could do was say "please." Pathetic, I know.

But she hesitated, and I suppose she felt that I was being sincere because she finally nodded, "I wont go there, and I won't tell anyone you were there."

I let go of the breath I'd been saving since she threatened to go there, she grinned. A grin of pure recklessness, "but I will find out what happened there Tobias. Have no doubt about that."


	6. Chapter 12 til 19

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Animorphs is not mine, it belongs to K. and Scholastic.

**You know...I actually like Marco – it's Cassie I can't stand – but I'm making him into a complete jerk here. I don't mean to, but he was kind of a jerk in the first book anyway. Oh well...**

**Thank you for the reviews (:**

**freak show – ahaha it's a sign that I have way too much time on my hands, in which I have very little to do (summer break – yey :D) I'm glad you like it, here's the next update :P**

**LuckynumberSleven – wow, thanks for the long review, and trust me, I appreciate the analysis (:. Admittedly, my grammar is pretty sucky, I tend not to check through carefully enough before I upload it, but I'm working on it ahaha. And thanks for the reassurance that taking parts of the book and rewriting them isn't anything I can get sued for, I like the 62p I have to my name to stay where it is. Writing a series would be a lot of work, but if I do it, it will only be a small series. Just feels like it'd be a shame to leave it after the Invasion, when most of the things that would change (in my head anyway) without Rachel would be after it...so we'll see how it goes haha. Anyway, glad you like the story so far and here's the next instalment -**

Chapter 12

The rest of that day went by in a blur... a blur of...I'm not sure. It might even have been happiness. I walked Rachel home, and we actually talked. We talked about anything and everything – freedom, chemistry, religion, then, for some reason, teletubbies – before we got to her house. She invited me in for a drink and something to eat and I politely declined. Kicking myself moments later.

Part of me was suspicious that maybe she was only being so nice to me to find out what happened, despite the fact she didn't mention it again. I was the weak link, Rachel was smart - she must know that.

Paranoid, I know. But that's my sense of self esteem for you.

When I got home, still kicking myself and trying to think positive thoughts, the phone was already ringing. It could have been ringing for some time, I don't know. I glanced into the living room, my uncle was asleep, a puddle of whisky pooled underneath his chin, the TV still blaring. I turned the TV off then picked up the phone. It was Jake. He was at Cassie's house and wanted me to meet them there. I said sure and he gave me directions.

The Yeerks were not mentioned.

I set out – walking, again. I was starting to truly loathe my legs. After all, I would be able to morph birds, have wings. Now that would be awesome.

Anyway, as it is, using my legs, it took me maybe quarter of an hour to get to Cassie's house, she lived right on the edge of town. That is because Cassie lives on a farm, surrounded by acres of land, with a huge barn before you started walking out into the fields. That's where I'd been told to meet them, and it was rather cool actually. I had to hold myself back from acquiring any animal I saw.

Jake and Marco were lolling about on bales of hay when I entered; Marco was in the process of throwing some at Jake. It hit and stuck in his hair. I don't think he noticed, and if he did he ignored it.

"Hi guys," I said.

"Hey," they echoed back at me almost in unison. Marco looked annoyed. But that was his usual state. If he wasn't making jokes, he was annoyed.

"We have a situation," Marco informed me sombrely.

I raised one eyebrow, looked over at Jake, who let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Let's just wait for Cassie before we start this again, alright?" Jake said. That's when I noticed that Cassie wasn't around. I turned, looked towards the house, then towards the field. Nope.

"Where is she anyway?" I asked. It was a little weird; we were all in her barn, except for her. Made me feel like I was trespassing or something.

I heard a screech behind me, and I was frozen to the spot. Something lumpy hit into my back, and I was pushed forward by the gentle force. Jake and Marco laughed appreciatively as I turned around and yelped. Not the most masculine sound I've ever made in my life, admittedly.

**Hey Tobias. **It was a horse, a _big _horse...and it was talking to me.

I mean, I know. I'd been through so much more in the last twenty four hours than a talking horse, and once my pulse slowed a little, I realised it must have been Cassie. But to have an actual animal talk to you... well, it makes you wonder if you've passed the border into loony town.

"Cassie?" I asked.

She laughed, and at the same time the horse neighed. It wasn't a bad laugh, like my uncle's or the Hork Bajir's, and it made me smile too. Then she was morphing back to human.

The top half was the first thing to morph, and she became Cassie again on her torso. She looked ... well, kind of like the Andalite. Like a centaur. I was going to look away, I mean, when I'd morphed, I'd ended up naked, but she seemed to be morphing a blue leotard. I gaped as she finished the morph. She'd managed to make it look like an art.

"Cassie's really good at this," Jake pointed out.

"Uh-huh," I answered, but I had bigger concerns, "how can you morph clothing?"

"It has to be tight clothing," she answered, a smile flickering on her face, "jeans, skirts, whatever, they get lost in the morph. It needs to be skin-tight." then she turned to the others, "you guys have got to try that."

"Pass," Marco said, "you know my opinions on this."

"I don't," I said. I don't know why, maybe I'm a masochist.

"That's the situation," Jake put in.

"No. _I'm _not the situation," Marco cursed, "The situation is that you guys think you're superheroes, you're not. You're idiot kids with a death wish. You're-"

There was a knock on the side of the barn, and he fell silent. We all slowly turned to look around at the entrance, and there he was...

My heartbeat started racing so fast I was sure it was going to race its way out of my chest. My breathe caught in my throat, and I started to go cold and hot all the same time.

_A cop._

**Chapter 13.**

"Mornin' folks," the policeman said. He had a strong accent, came across a bit too much like a sheriff in some country and western movie, but he didn't seem like he was going to shove us into prison either.

"Morning officer," Jake said back, although, really, it was probably already after twelve. I kept my mouth shut. Anything I said would just come out shaky.

"We're making some inquiries," the cop said, ignoring the rest of us and looking straight at Jake, "we're looking for some kids who were shooting off fireworks in the construction site across from the mall last night."

Suddenly, Marco started coughing. I was caught by the irrational thought that maybe he _wanted _us to get caught.

"Something the matter with him?" the policeman asked, his mouth twitching.

"Nope. Nothing the matter with him," Jake said.

"He's asthmatic," I added quickly, "shouldn't be near all this hay."

My voice was quivering, but that was okay...wasn't it? I mean, people's voice's do shake when a policeman comes to see them, whether they've done anything or not...right?

I was sure my guilt must be written over my face.

"We want these kids," the policeman said, shaking his head and ignoring Marco. "We want them real bad. See, it was dangerous what they did. Could have been someone hurt. So we want to find the kids."

He was one of them. A controller. There was something about the way he kept looking at us. He _knew _there were never any fireworks.

"I don't know anything about it," Jake said, and we all kind of hid behind his bravado. Luckily, Jake is a natural born leader. If it wasn't for him...well, as Rachel said, I'm a terrible liar.

"Hey, you know what?" he said eventually, "you look like a young man I know named Tom."

"He's my brother," Jake said.

I was only half listening. I was trying to find any signs that this human was a controller. I knew he was, but it was only a gut feeling. Nothing was...unnatural about him, nothing out of place. How could you tell?

"Tom's your brother, eh? Well, he's a good kid. I know him from The Sharing. I'm one of the adult supervisors. Great group, The Sharing. You should come to a meeting."

"Yeah, um, Tom invited me already," Jake said.

"We have a lot of fun."

"Yeah," Jake repeated.

"Well, you call me if you hear anything about these kids in the construction site. I should warn you - they may come up with some wild story to conceal their guilt. But you're too smart to believe a bunch of crazy lies, aren't you?"

"He's a regular genius," Marco said, still choked from the coughing but jabbing his thumb at Jake.

With that the cop left, and I think we all unanimously started breathing again. We waited until he was out of sight before Cassie said, "that was too close."

"Far too close," Marco agreed. He held his finger and his thumb about a centimetre apart, "we were this close. _This close. _To having slugs wrapped round our brains. _This close!"_

"So we don't morph in public anymore," Jake said easily.

"Nuh-huh," Marco said, "that's what I'm saying, Jake man, there'll be no morphing. Period. I don't care what you guys think of me, if I die, my dad falls apart man. I'm the only thing he's holding on for. We're four kids. We wouldn't stand a chance anyway."

I looked sideways at him. I couldn't believe he was actually saying this stuff. We _had _to fight. Did he want to end up, as he put it, with a slug wrapped round his brain?

We couldn't rely on the andalites to fight our battles. You can't rely on anything in this world.

Jake was paling, "maybe we should just..." he shrugged, "tell someone?"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, it couldn't be Jake too, I turned to him, "tell who? That cop was a yeerk, you know that right?" I waited until he nodded, "anyone could be one, and we have no way of telling. So, Jake, who are we going to tell?"

He put his head in his hands, "I don't know, but how can we do this?"

"How can we not do this?" Cassie murmured, "Our families could be taken. Humans...they're being used as slaves. We can't stand by and do nothing."

"Let's take a vote," Jake said eventually.

"I vote we live long enough to finally get to watch an R rated movie," Marco said with a sneer.

"I vote we do what the andalite wanted us to do. I vote we fight," I said, and the bravado in my own voice didn't disguise the sickness I felt.

"You can't even handle the punks at school," Marco laughed, "and you want to fight that thing from last night? Right."

I glared at him, but I could feel heat rise from my neck to my face. He was right. I couldn't. But I was going to have to learn. We couldn't just sit back and let this happen.

"We don't have to decide right now," Cassie said easily. The peace-maker. I could see why Rachel got frustrated, "I mean, it's not like we're picking whether to wear a skirt or pants...this is a major decision."

Marco smirked at me. He thought he'd won, but I didn't care what the others did, I was going to fight. It would just be so much easier if I wasn't doing it alone.

So as Jake and Marco left, walking to Jake's house, I stayed behind just a few minutes more, "you got any birds?" I asked Cassie, and she smiled.

"Two at the moment," she gestured to the cages to the right, "a red tailed hawk and an osprey."

I peered into the cages. The osprey was cool, but the hawk drew me in ways I can't even begin to explain. I put my finger through the gap, but the bird ignored me, "what's wrong with this little guy?" I asked, peering over my shoulder.

"Broken wing," she'd gotten a brush from somewhere and was cleaning the area that Marco and Jake had just departed, she grinned at me, "Don't worry about opening the cage. He won't bite, and he can't fly away."

I did so, opened the door and gingerly put my hand inside. Stroked his feathered chest. Moments later, the red tailed hawk was a part of me forever.

**Chapter 14.**

I left Cassie's barn soon after that. We didn't really have anything to say to one another. I considered morphing the red tailed hawk and flying home, but then I'd have to leave my clothes at Cassie's. So I started walking. I was only halfway up the road when I saw a familiar sight.

Rachel. No doubt coming to demand an explanation from Cassie.

I turned at the corner, hoped that she hadn't seen me, but...

"Tobias! Hey, Tobias! Wait!"

I could keep walking and pretend I'd never heard her and hope she'd give up, or I could go back...

I chose to go back. Call me a coward, but I'm not a fan of death.

"Hey Rachel," I looked at my feet, "what's up?"

Apparently, she didn't want idle chitchat, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Yeah well..." what could I really say to that? No one really expected me to be anywhere, I suppose, but that would just sound too self pitying, "Jake phoned me and asked me to drop some work off for him."

"Uhhuh," she said, "and why was Jake at Cassie's?"

"I don't know."

"Right," she grinned at me, "relax, Tobias. I'm not here to uncover any of your deep dark secrets. Not right now."

I finally looked up enough to meet her eyes, "Well...what are you here for?"

"Cassie _is _my best friend," she reminded me, "but I bumped into Melissa Chapman last night at the mall, and she's going to a meeting of The Sharing tonight, you heard of it?"

I nodded. I had heard of it, and recently, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember when or where.

"Yeah well, she blackmailed me into coming along, so I thought maybe I could do the same with Cassie," she gave a little laugh, "you can come too, if you want, make the time pass quicker for me."

She smiled, and I was confused. Did she actually want me to come, or was it just an afterthought? Surely, she couldn't, but she was standing there smiling at me, waiting for my answer.

"I can't," I said reluctantly, "stuff to do around the house."

"Oh," her smile slipped a tiny bit, "well maybe another time?"

"Sure," I said before I could stop myself, then she was walking away, towards Cassie's barn, and I was running towards my house.

I couldn't wait to try out my new hawk morph.

**Chapter 15.**

I put some old bike shorts and a tight t-shirt on. I'd had them since I was like ten, and I looked ridiculous, but it didn't matter. It was better than coming out of a morph naked all the time. When I started the morph to hawk, my clothes didn't fall off me in a heap, but stayed on. My window was open, and I flew out of it.

Let me tell you. A hawk sees _everything._

I knew exactly what I was looking for. A yeerk pool. It had come to me in the jumble of images and words that the andalite had put into my head. Of course, I had no idea what one was meant to look like, but I was sure I'd know when I saw it.

I was riding the thermals. The hawk brain took over, and the hawk knew how to fly. I could see everything from up there; I could see the hands on every watch. I could see each individual hair on people's heads. _Everything. _I could see lice in people's hair...and man, they are everywhere. How did people not notice?

I had never felt so free. Up there, I felt like I could achieve anything. Like I wasn't Tobias anymore. I was part of something bigger and better than myself.

It was the same feeling I got when I met the andalite.

After an hour and twenty minutes of flying around, I gave up and headed towards Jake's house. I felt as though if I could persuade him that we needed to fight, he would persuade the others. I wasn't a leader, I couldn't tell people what to do. Jake, on the other hand, oozed authority from every pore.

I looked through Jake's bedroom window first to make sure his parents or his brother wasn't in there. They weren't, but Marco still was. Great. Oh well, I had to do it anyway, I beat my wings against the window.

They both looked at me, and their eyes bugged out, but neither of them made a move. **Let me in alright? I can't hover here forever!**

Jake let me in. Marco looked like he wanted to hit me. I glided in through the window and landed on Jake's dresser.

"It's an eagle or something," Marco said.

**Red-tailed hawk, actually.**

"Is that you, Tobias?" Marco demanded, "I thought we'd agreed not to do any more morphing."

**I never agreed to that.**

"Well, morph back, Tobias," Jake said. "You know what the Andalite said — never stay in any form for more than two hours."

I didn't really want to morph back. I wanted to stay as a hawk as long as possible. The feeling was a rush, like I was stronger than anything. But he was right, I was coming close to the limit.

I hopped onto his bed and morphed back, and with the de-morph came the old feelings of helplessness. Great. When I was a hawk I could be free and strong and powerful, and when I was a boy I was weak and feeble and...

Giddy.

"That was the coolest thing I've ever done in my life," I told them, "I was riding the thermals?"

"What's a thermal?" Jake asked.

"That's when there's warm air rising up from the ground. It forms this cushion under your wings. You can just float up there. Like a mile up! You just surf the thermals. You guys have got to do it! It is the best thing ever."

"Tobias, how on Earth did you do a hawk morph?" Jake demanded.

"There's an injured hawk right there in Cassie's barn," I said, feeling like Jake might be mad at me too. "There's this cool osprey, too, but I decided on the hawk."

"How did you fly if the hawk you morphed from was injured?" Jake wondered.

Marco shook his head pityingly. "Jake, do you pay any attention in biology class? DNA has nothing to do with some injury. The DNA wasn't broken. Just a wing."

He ignored him. "You're lucky Cassie's dad didn't catch you," he said to me. I was barely listening, I was still caught up in the rush of flying. I'm sure you imagined flying, thought about how cool it would be. Well, it's not that cool, it's better.

"He's so depressed," I commented.

"Who's depressed? Cassie's dad?"

"No, the hawk. I mean, I think he knows they aren't trying to hurt him or anything, but he can't stand being cooped up there while his wing heals It's terrible when birds have to be locked up in cages. They should be free."

"Yeah, free the birds," Marco commented sarcastically. "I'll get the bumper stickers printed up."

"You wouldn't have that attitude if you'd been up there with me," I said angrily. "It was cool being a cat and all. But a hawk! It's just total, absolute freedom."

Jake repeated the warning sceptically. "No more than two hours in any morph, right? You keep track of the time, right?"

I smiled. "Yeah. I don't have a watch or anything, but with hawk eyes you can actually see the hands of someone's watch when they're half a mile below you. It's like being Superman. You can fly, plus you have super vision."

"Now he's Superman," Marco muttered. I ignored him.

"I was looking around. I guess I thought I might be able to see something from the air," I said. "I was looking for something that might be a Yeerk pool."

"What's a Yeerk pool?"Jake asked me. I'd forgotten the others hadn't been there when the andalite gave me those visions.

"It's where the Yeerks live in their natural state. Every three days a Yeerk has to leave his host body and go into the Yeerk pool to soak up nutrients. Especially Kandrona rays."

Marco and Jake exchanged a look. I think they were suspicious, not that I could blame them, if they started spouting a bunch of information I didn't know about the Yeerks, I'd have been suspicious too,

"At the end," I explained, "when the Andalite told us all to run for it, I stayed behind for a few seconds; I guess maybe I was too scared even to run." Jake shook his head, as though he knew that wasn't true, but at the same time, Marco was nodding, I powered on, "Anyway, he gave me. .visions, I guess you'd call them. Pictures. Information. A lot of it, all at once. All jumbled. I haven't even started to sort it all out. But I do know about the Yeerk pools and the Kandrona."

Marco held up his hand, silencing me. "Let me check the door," he said. He went to Jake's door and peeked out into the hallway. "All clear," he announced.

I was staring at Marco, confused. "Tom," he explained, "He's one of them."

"Don't make me hurt you," Jake warned him angrily. ""Tom is not a Controller."

"Either way, we should be careful," I said, I had the feeling this wasn't the first time the two of them had had that argument. I lowered my voice. "The Kandrona is a device that produces Kandrona particles. See, it's like this little portable version of the Yeerk's own home sun. The Yeerks need Kandrona particles to live, like a human needs vitamins or whatever. The Kandrona particles are beamed from wherever the Kandrona is and concentrated in the Yeerk pool. Once every three days, every Yeerk has to leave his host and go into the pool. They soak up the particles and then they re-enter the host body."

"What does this have to do with you flying around playing Superman?" Jake asked.

"Well, it seems dumb now, but I was thinking maybe I could see the Yeerk pool." I smiled, "Saw a lot of swimming pools and some ponds. You get up there and you realize there are ponds and lakes and streams everywhere. But I didn't see anything special."

_You know, except everything you could see when flying that you just didn't see from the ground_, I added in my head_._

"And what if you found some Yeerk pool? Then what?" Marco demanded.

"Then we'd blow it up," I said.

"Wrong," Marco said. "We decided not to get into this."

"No, we decided not to decide yet," Jake said.

"Well, I've decided," I said.

"Suddenly the wimp is a hero," Marco sneered.

I don't know why, maybe it was just because Marco had put it upon himself to be a jerk, or maybe it was just because I'd finally experienced strength, but I wasn't embarrassed. "Maybe I just found something worth fighting for, Marco."

"You don't even fight for yourself," Marco said.

"That was before," I said softly. "Before the Andalite. Before he died trying to save us. I can't let that go. I can't let him die for nothing. So whatever you guys decide, I'm going to fight."

I saw Jake twitch out of the corner of my eye and grinned inwardly. He was finally getting it.

**Chapter 16.**

We find the Yeerk pool," I said. "And when we do, we blow it up and kill every one of those evil slugs."

Marco gave me a quick glare before he turned to Jake, "Remember that cop today, the one who is so interested in finding whoever was at the construction site? The cop who is probably a Controller?"

"What about him?" Jake said.

"Well, let's see. He invites you to join The Sharing. And now along comes Tom. And suddenly he is very interested in whatever happened at the construction site. And guess what? Tom also invites you to join The Sharing."

I nodded in agreement; it was clear where he was going with this. "Maybe this Sharing is an organization for Controllers."

No sooner were the words out of my mouth than I wished I could call them back, bury them deep inside, and never think about it again. Rachel had invited me to The Sharing...did that mean she was...?

It couldn't. If she was, the Yeerks would already know who was at that Construction site... but what if they were just trying to get us to come to them as so not to cause a scene?

I should have known she didn't really want to spend any time with me. She'd just been trying to trick me. I might have been upset, had I not been expecting something like that.

Stupid Tobias. Stupid, stupid Tobias.

I snapped back into the conversation just in time to hear Marco's self-righteous speech on reality.

"It's not exactly some video game, is it?" Marco said. "This is reality. You don't know anything about reality, Jake. Nothing bad has ever really happened to you. You have this perfect family. Like I used to have."

Now I sound like a jerk, but there are many ways to take reality, and although I was sure that my way – crawling into a hole and hoping it would just pass – was the wrong way, I was also pretty damn sure that Marco's 'everything can go to hell as long as I'm okay' ideology wasn't too great either.

He was talking about reality as though he was the only one who faced it day in day out. God, yes, his mum was dead, but at least he had a dad who loved him. At least he had friends.

"So maybe we just walk away from this," Marco went on, "Let someone else fight this fight. Sorry about the Andalite, but I've got enough death in my family."

"No," Jake said "The Andalite gave us the morphing power for a reason. It wasn't just for the fun of being a dog or a horse or a bird. He hoped we would fight."

"Then maybe Tom is the enemy," Marco said. "Maybe it's your own brother you'll end up destroying."

"Yes," Jake said, and he sounded choked, "Maybe that's what will happen. Maybe not. But the first step is to find out more. And I think maybe the way to do that is to check out this meeting of The Sharing. Tonight. I'll call the others. Anyone wants to come, cool. You want to stay out of it, Marco, that's cool, too."

He hesitated. He sent me an angry look. But he said, "Okay, it's just a meeting, right? We go and see. I'm in for that,"

"Err, guys," I said hesitantly, "we might have other problems."

"What?" Marco snapped, he was ticked at losing Jake's allegiance.

"I bumped into Rachel on the way back... she invited me to The Sharing, and she was on her way to invite Cassie. I said I was busy."

They were both staring at me incredulously, for very different reasons, "you turned down a date with _Rachel?" _Marco demanded.

I blushed, "it wasn't a date," I frowned, why would he even think that? "And if she might be a controller, good job I did, but man, Jake..."

"Yeah," he agreed, "she knows."

**Chapter 17.**

"Rachel knows..." Marco repeated, and then looked at me thoughtfully, "Rachel knows _what_, exactly?"

Jake scratched his head, "well, she suspects that we walked through the construction site, but we told her we chickened out, and I think she believed us. Right, Tobias?"

I didn't say anything - couldn't say anything. I _knew _she knew we'd been through. Crap. Was it all my fault? I'd told her...I'd told her that we'd been through. I'd risked us all for infestation... I'd...

"Right, Tobias?" Jake asked again, this time not half as confidently.

I shook my head, tried to shake the images of what would happen to us. If she was a controller, the yeerk would know we were there, it would know that _we _were _those. _

I'd doomed us, all because I couldn't lie.

"Oh crap," Marco said.

_Oh crap indeed._

"Tobias," Jake grabbed hold of my arm, not aggressively, just to bring my back to the present "we need to know what you told her!"

"she didn't believe us, Jake," I said eventually, willing him with my eyes to believe us, "she asked me for the truth, and I wouldn't tell her, but then she said she was going to go to the construction site...I couldn't let that happen..."

"So you told her ...what? Everything?" Marco demanded. He was close to losing it.

"No," I shook my head, tried to make myself _think. _"I just begged her not to go through the construction site, that there were dangerous people there..."

Marco was on me in a second, standing in front of me, looking as though he was going to hit me. It was okay. I deserved it, "Do you know what you've done?" Marco yelled, "You've sold us out! You may as well have killed us, Tobias. Except killing us might have been too good for us, mightn't it? You had to..."

"Shut up, Marco," Jake said in that quiet, authoritive way of his, "even if we had fooled Rachel, her yeerk wouldn't be fooled. They'd still come after us. Right now, there are no guarantees that Rachel is a controller. We have to look into this Sharing meeting. I don't know, maybe we have a chance of saving her."

Marco let out a harsh laugh, "and if not, Jake? Then reality may just come and bite you on the ass again. You might have to kill your cousin _and _your brother."

Jake met his eyes solemnly, "yeah. I might."

But inside I was cursing. Hurt Rachel? No. No matter what, we'd save her. We _had _to.

* * *

We decided that Jake and Marco would go to the Sharing with Tom, since he had already invited them, and that Cassie would go with Rachel, as Rachel had succeeded in bribing or blackmailing her friend to come along. Since I'd already lied and said I wouldn't be able to make it, I'd be going too, but in another way.

I would be going as a hawk.

That was fine with me. Already, I was starting to feel more comfortable in my hawk body than my human body, more important. As though I mattered.

Crazy I know, but I don't care. I walked part of the way to the beach with Jake and Marco, and then hid behind a dune to change as they stood watch. Minutes later, I was a hawk. I was free.

It was getting dark, and because it was dark, it was harder finding thermals, but I caught one and soared above the beach, searching for anything about the Sharing that seemed suspicious.

At first, I didn't see or hear anything strange. There was a bonfire burning in the middle of the beach, a volleyball game being set up to my right as I swept closer. Just people, all together, having a good time. Everyone seemed nice, everyone was hospitable and no one had a bad word to say about the Sharing.

And I mean _no one. _

Every so often, I'd hear snippets of the conversation, "I was anorexic, but then I became a full member of the Sharing and they helped me through it. Such a great group."

"The Sharing helped me get my life in order. I was in debt, my wife was going to leave me, and now all my problems have just gone away."

Apart from the obvious fact that _no one _should be that open about their personal life to people that they just met, how was it even possible? Could the Sharing really help everyone? Were they like a group of Samaritans?

Part of me thought the idea was really nice. Everyone helping everyone else. That was what community was meant to be about.

But the realist inside of me told me that that's just not how things worked in the real world. And how could everyone be in such perfect agreement about the Sharing? Surely, someone should be complaining that their parents had dragged them there, or their girlfriend, or something. Surely, someone – somewhere – would rather be home watching TV. Star Trek was on that night, not even a rerun. How come none of the men were complaining about missing it?

I searched the beach for Jake, Marco and Cassie. From up a height, it's not easy to tell one person from another. Mainly what people look like are moving ovals of hair. It would have been easier if they'd had bright green hair or something, but they didn't. Brown and black. Do you know how many people in this world have brown or black hair?

I eventually found Cassie talking to Melissa Chapman and eating salad from a Styrofoam tray. She was laughing; she didn't seem to be wary.

Not like I was.

She gave me a small wave as I soared past, just a fluttering of her fingers. She had seen me.

Then I found Jake, he was playing volleyball with his brother and some guys who looked like they came from the high school. I soared past them.

Marco was the hardest to find, but I eventually found him, down by the water's edge, talking to a blonde girl. The girl was surveying the sky, hands over her eyes. I floated down, landed on a bush, close enough to hear what they were saying. I realised with a start that it was Rachel.

"So, Rachel," Marco said, sidling further up to her, "I'm here alone, you're here alone..."

"Which makes neither of us alone," she pointed out, "unless, of course, you go away and be alone somewhere else so I can think."

I had to chuckle, but apparently Marco heard me, he span around and made a motion with his hands like he was trying to shoo me away. I took the hint and flew.

It was then that I finally heard something suspicious.

"Clear the space for the full members," one blob of baldness said to a redheaded woman, "and post plenty of guards. No one can overhear us, got it?"

Now that. That seemed suspicious.

**Chapter 18.**

I flew around aimlessly until I spotted the area being prepared for full members, they were starting to pour in, but I couldn't see anyone who looked like Rachel with them – for that I was infinitely glad – I also saw Cassie, Marco and Jake standing together and swooped down closer.

**What's up? **I asked as I got closer. From the corner of my eye I saw a flash of movement. It didn't drive me into frenzy like it would have done when I was being Dude, but I watched it carefully. A mouse was running through the thick grass of the dunes. The hawk wanted that mouse. The hawk was hungry.

"The full members are off in some private get-together," Jake said, "Do you know where they are?"

**Of course. With these eyes I can see the mice scampering through the dune grass. Nice, plump, tasty-looking things.**

"Tobias! Get a grip. Don't start eating mice just because you're in a hawk's body. What's next? Road kill?"

I couldn't say anything to that. I didn't bother to tell him that when I was searching for the yeerk pool I had come across a dead racoon by the side of the road. It had taken everything I had not to swoop down on it and make the hawk inside of me very happy indeed.

"Where are the full members?" Jake asked.

**About a hundred yards down the beach. There's a little bowl-like area formed by the dunes. There are people posted all around, though, like guards.**

Jake nodded. "Good job. Tobias, you've been in that body for more than an hour. You need to morph back."

**No, I'll keep watch from above for a while longer, **I didn't want to tell him the truth, that I hated going back to my real form after I'd been flying as a hawk, that it made me feel more pathetic and weak than ever. That it made me actually think. _It would be great to be as free as a hawk forever; _**after all, we can't let Rachel see me.**

He nodded reluctantly, "just keep an eye on the time."

Then he stepped back, started to change. Although it didn't bother me when I morphed, it bothered me when someone else did. There's nothing like seeing one of your friends change, for their nose to protrude, grow into a long snout. To hear their bones bending and realigning. There are few things more disgusting in life than that.

**What's he doing? **I looked pointedly at Marco. Apparently he was still mad at me, because he didn't say anything.

"He's going into that meeting," Cassie said softly, then she turned to Jake, "keep a grip on your human side, we can't have you chasing cats or whatever."

It wasn't going to be a problem. There were no cats in the immediate vicinity. I'd have noticed them – hawk eyes can see anything.

Jake must have told her not to worry, because the next thing I heard was Cassie saying, "But I do worry."

Sweet. Jake was nuzzling Cassie's hand with his snout. I turned away.

When I looked back, Jake's ears had pricked up. He was listening intently, waiting for movement I think. Then he was running towards something, digging in the sand. Marco looked at me, exasperated.

"And we're the kids who are going to save the world?" he asked sarcastically.

**Jake, get a grip, **I yelled to him. His ears pricked up again, and he looked over his shoulder at us, then his ears fell down in the universal sign of disappointment, and he was on his way again, towards the full members.

Jake would take care of that, no problem, and I couldn't have listened to the meeting anyway. If I kept flying in a small circle above the members, they might have realised something was wrong, but still I was on edge. I wanted to fly. I wanted to get out of there.

I couldn't see Rachel anywhere.

**Chapter 19.**

We waited in uncomfortable silence for Jake to come back. When he hadn't come back in five minutes, Marco started biting his lower lip and muttering obscenities. When he hadn't come back in ten minutes, Cassie was tapping her foot and Marco was muttering _worse _obscenities.

"I'm going to find him," Cassie said finally.

**I'll go, **I told her, **that's not as risky.**

She nodded. Then shook her head, glanced at her wrist, "you only have ten minutes left in morph. You better de-morph, take the risk that Rachel will see you," she gave a small laugh, "it's not like they can do anything to me just for being on the beach...right?"

She was looking at us for confirmation. Marco looked at me, and I glared back with my raptors gaze.

She shook her head, "I'm going anyway. I have to find Jake."

Neither of us tried to stop her. Not that we could have if we had tried. When she was out of sight, Marco turned to me, "okay man, time for you to de-morph."

And the bad thing was, I still didn't want to. I knew that the clock was ticking down, yet I would have rather stayed in my hawk body. The only thing that stopped me was the andalite. The yeerks.

How could I fight as a bird?

I began to de-morph. Slowly, reluctantly. Marco had my clothes stashed in his rucksack, so at least I didn't have to hang around at the beach in shorts and a t-shirt several sizes too small.

Marco was giving me fisheye by the time I was finished, "what?" I asked.

He shrugged, "just wondering what you're thinking."

Okay, that was strange; I cocked my head to the side. It was a very birdlike thing to do. I immediately righted it.

"Well, I always wondered what type of thoughts ran through a nutjob's mind," he said, turning his back on me, looking towards the place where Jake and Cassie had disappeared to.

"I'm not insane," I said quietly. I wasn't used to arguing.

"Then what is it? Are you suicidal?" he looked at me, "because that's what this is, you know, _suicide._"

He was right. I could see it now. We couldn't have a chance in beating an entire alien invasion...we were just four kids who could turn into animals.

But we didn't need to beat them, just delay them until the Andalites came. That was all we needed to do. I shrugged.

He pressed his hand up to the back of his neck, rubbed it, "I know what you think of me," he said at last, and he actually sounded like he cared. Strange. "But you don't understand. If it was just me, I'd probably be the first one to do stupid things like turn into animals, but I need to think of my dad too. He's kind of dependant on me staying alive."

That's when I finally understood what separated Marco and I in his long, rambling speeches about reality.

Earlier, I had thought having a father who loved him was a reason he should be in this fight with us. I had thought of it as one of his strengths, not a weakness.

I couldn't understand what it was like for him. As much as my uncle and aunt didn't care about me, i felt pretty much the same. The only person – if that was the right word for it – I had actually cared for was the andalite.

And now he was dead.

Something told me that that wasn't exactly true, that I did care for other people, but I brushed it off. Finally, I understood why Marco was being so... conceited.

"But if you don't fight," I told him, "worse could happen to your dad than him falling apart at your death. He could be controlled. He could be turned into one of these obsessively happy controllers, who we know can't control a damn thing about themselves."

He nodded, and I thought I saw a glimmer of a tear in his eyes, but then he fell silent.

I didn't have anything else encouraging to say. I'd used up all my pep talks in one day.

Luckily, I could see a dog bounding towards us, and behind it, a good 50 yards back, Cassie. Walking quickly, but trying to seem casual.

Jake hesitated when he got to us, cocked his head to the side, and then started to de-morph. Cassie turned her head when we realised that he was not wearing anything under the morph, and Marco threw him his clothes. Their eyes met for a second.

"Marco, you were right," Jake said simply, "Tom is a controller."

To give him his due, Marco did not look pleased at being right. In fact, he looked slightly sick.

"Jake...are you sure?" I asked.

He looked at me, then looked down at the sand, took a deep breath as though it was painful for him to get the words out, "I'm sure," he said in flat monotone. The type of voice I usually used, "he told Chapman he'd brought me here to either infest me or kill me. He knows I go through the construction site sometimes."

"Chapman?" Marco demanded, his voice strained, "You mean our Vice Principal is an alien? I _knew it! _I _knew _he couldn't be human!"

Jake didn't look amused, "I think he's some kind of leader. When I got trapped at the construction site, he was the one telling the Hork Bajir just to keep my head."

"That is so Chapman," Marco laughed.

I wondered if Melissa was a full member yet. I hadn't really been looking for her; I'd been more concerned about Rachel. If her father was one, surely she didn't have long, and if she'd told him she was taking Rachel and Cassie...

"I suggest we get the heck out of here," I said, fighting to keep the panic out of my voice.

"No, it's okay," Jake told me, "Chapman said there'd be no killing at a Sharing meeting. It's bad for publicity; they can't kill every kid who _might _have been at the construction site."

Marco snorted, "If they did that, Chapman wouldn't even have to turn up for work."

"They said eventually the kids would talk about seeing the aliens. We wouldn't be able to keep our mouths shut for long," he looked around at all of us.

"Which means that we can't go to _anyone," _Cassie said finally.

"That's right," Marco said, meeting my eyes, "we don't go to anyone; we go home. We play some Sega, and we never talk about this again."

"And leave Tom the way he is?" Jake demanded, "no way. I'm getting my brother back."

"Not to mention Rachel," I added. They all turned to face me, and I blushed, "I mean, if she gets made a full member, it's game over for us."

Marco and Jake turned back to their conversation. So did Cassie, but she gave me a knowing smile first.

"You and Tobias go then," he spat, "the terrific two against the Hork Bajir, and the Taxxons, and Chapman, and Visser three. Let me know how it goes." He snapped out a small salute, started to back away.

"I'm in too," Cassie said quietly.

Marco's head snapped round, as though he couldn't believe what he'd heard, "_you too?" _he half shrieked. He'd lost his only ally, "has everyone just lost their freaking minds? Are you _all _suicidal? Jake, I understand what you have to lose or gain in this. But Tobias? Cassie?" he turned to us both, "will you think?! For. Just. One. Freaking. Minute?!"

"Quiet!" Jake yelled, "we'll let this ride...for now..."

Marco threw his arms up, "it doesn't matter how long you let it ride, I'm out. I'm so out. Chapman was scary when all he could do was give me detention. Now...just forget it." He started walking across the beach.

Jake had pulled Cassie aside, they were speaking in low voices and I didn't want to interrupt. Without so much as saying goodbye, I started home.

**Like? Didn't like? Review either way pleaseee :)  
2 more installments I think and it should be finished.**

**Unfortunately though, I've managed to break..well, just about everything in my body :P. Slight exaggeration, but I've broke my left hand, left wrist, chipped a bone in my left elbow, bruised my hip bone, fractured my jaw, and split my lip. How? Well, I wish I could say something interesting, but it wasn't. I went over the handlebars of my bike on my weekly 20 mile bikeride and down a gravel hill. So...I wont be able to update for quite some time... As this alone has taken me ..ohh...13 minutes? **


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